A Fistful of Dragonite
by Rassilon001
Summary: Up and coming gunslinger Gene Starwind finds himself thrown headfirst into adventure in the search to make a name for himself. With wisecracking partners, beautiful damsels, mystical skinchangers, foreign assassins, and more besides. Pride and greed threaten to tear the frontier apart, and the lines quickly become blurred between doing what is legal, and doing what is right.
1. The Quickdraw Outlaw

**Disclaimer:  
**I do not own Outlaw Star or any of its characters. It belongs to Sunrise, Funimation, Madman, and Bandai Entertainment.

**Summary:  
**Up and coming gunslinger Gene Starwind finds himself thrown headfirst into adventure in the search to make a name for himself. With wisecracking partners, beautiful damsels, mystical skinchangers, foreign assassins, and more besides. Pride and greed threaten to tear the frontier apart, and the lines quickly become blurred between doing what is legal, and doing what is right. Rated PG-13 for Violence and Sexuality.

* * *

On the edge between the savage frontier and the peace of civilization was a quaint little town called Sentinel.

Originally a quaint little farming community with a small garrison, it had been chosen as an ideal spot for the train railway to cut through on its way westwards. During the war it had upgraded its garrison into a full blown fortress for soldiers, and the economy had blossomed thanks to their protective presence and patronage. Now, with peace on the rise, it was rapidly on turning into the place to go for people of all walks of life.

This was where the story started.

* * *

The watering hole on the edge of Sentinel was somewhat unimaginably called "Clyde's Saloon." Judging from what you could see on the outside it had seen better days. It was one of the oldest buildings in Sentinel, in desperate need of repair and upkeep. A fresh layer of paint had been slapped on the outside but that did little to conceal its flaws from the outside world.

None of this seemed to phase the red-haired young man who casually pushed open the swinging doors and stepped inside. Giving himself a moment to let his eyes adjust, the gunslinger felt everyone else's eyes fall on him. Pointedly ignoring them all, he strolled between the tables and straight up to the bar.

Gene Starwind pulled off his beaten up hat and set it on the bar beside him as he ordered a whiskey.

"Taking it easy today?" asked Clyde, owner and bartender both, setting a glass on the bar in front of Gene and filling it up. The red-haired outlaw downed it in one go, which wasn't surprising considering he normally ordered something stronger and more expensive. And usually as a double.

"Something like that," Gene replied. "How's business?"

"Been a bit slower since Iris left to visit her kinfolk. And since we finally got the chandelier fixed," he added pointedly.

The redheaded outlaw rolled his eyes, but paid for his drink... and was sure to include an extra-large tip. After all, he'd been the one to wreck the place.

"Don't suppose you've heard of any new bounties, Clyde?"

The mustachioed barkeep shook his head. "Not since you boys brought down Death Rob. The army must feel they're getting the job done now, they don't feel a need to hire out mercenaries."

"Lousy military thugs," Gene muttered. "Taking good honest work away from people like me."

"I hear that. Oh, speaking of which... Mikey stopped by, said he was lookin' for you. Might want to pay up your tab with him before it's your ugly mug on some wanted poster."

Mikey was the local stable owner and a horse rancher. Gene and his partner left their horses in his care whenever they were in town for long stretches of a time. The swindler liked to rob his customers blind, but Gene had to admit he did take damn good care of Outlaw. He probably ought to pay him soon, else there'd be hell to pay.

Sighing, he plunked his hat back on his head. "Better get me another."

The bartender smiled, pouring him another shot, then leaving the bottle on the bar with it. "On the house. I owe you for making sure I didn't up full of holes that one time."

"Thanks, Clyde," he muttered. "You're a true friend," he said, toasting with his shot glass before downing it. The way the day was going, he was going to need it.

* * *

Slapping down a little extra coin, Gene grabbed the bottle and ambled out of the saloon, leaned up against one of the posts outside, watching the various passerby as he waited for the buzz to kick in. This time of day was fairly quiet, most people had finished their travelling when the sun had reached the horizon, but a few would press on in the dimming light to reach their destination, rather than be stuck out in the frontier with bandits, natives, and worse.

"Bro! Hey!"

He glanced up at the call, none too surprised to see his partner making his way towards him, for he was the only one who addressed him like that. James Hawking.

Dirty blonde hair peaked out from underneath a black, wide-rim hat and he wore a leather duster over a red shirt. His boots were a smidgen too big for him, likely intended to be grown into. Whereas Gene was just shy of six foot even, Jim barely managed four and a half. Considering he was only twelve, however, it left plenty of time for him to grow up. But what he lacked in size he more than made up for with a host of other talents, intelligence, and maturity that rivalled and sometimes surpassed Gene's own. They weren't brothers, but they were closer than any blood kin he knew of.

At the moment, however, his expression told Gene that all he was going to get was a headache. Resigning himself to it rather than cut and run, he leaned against the nearby post as his partner ambled up to him.

"There you are Gene. What're you doing here? We haven't got enough money for drinks."

"Clearly we do, because I just spent it on them," Gene retorted, taking a sip from his bottle. "Besides, after the day I've had I need a drink. Rachel was killing my back."

The shorter boy rolled his eyes. "Oh woe is you," Jim said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Gene you idiot you're burning right through our pay faster than we earn. At this rate we're going to lose the store. And if that happens...!"

Gene tuned him out by virtue of long experience. While he valued his partners input (why else make him his partner?) there were times he worried too much. This was definitely one of those times, and it was boring him to tears. Idly his gaze strayed over to a carriage that had stopped in front of Clyde's, seeking a distraction.

Boy did he ever find one.

Two girls were stepping out of the carriage, and Gene's mouth hung open as he caught sight of them. They shared the same dark hair and pale skin, but apart from that were unalike as day and night. The first girl was buxom, brazen, and wild. She wore a man's shirt and a duster, a stetson atop of her head, shielding her golden, hawk-like eyes from the rays of the sun. By contrast, the other girl had a sort of lithe, graceful beauty. She was wearing a sky blue dress that look entirely too fancy for the dusty town of Sentinel, all frills and ruffles. A parasol rested over her shoulder, while the first girl had a revolver resting at her hip.

One wild and untamed, one dainty and sweet. Both utterly beautiful in their own way.

"Hey, Gene, are you even listening to me?"

His train of thought interrupted, Gene shook his head, reluctantly tearing his gaze away from the raven-haired beauties to regard his partner.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said if we can't grab any new bounties we're going to have to go back to work at the Swanzo's. That or you'll have to sell your body down at Paradise." Paradise being the local whore house.

"Doesn't sound so bad," Gene remarked. "I spend most nights down at Paradise anyway."

"You'll be selling it to the _guys_," Jim pointed out.

The redhead rolled his eyes, he knew that well enough, and the thought did nothing to appeal to him. "We'll be fine, Jimmy. When have I ever let us down?"

The dirty blonde boy opened his mouth, but Gene beat him to it. "My thoughts exactly. So, quit worrying. Go home, get some sleep. I'm uh... gonna keep my ear to the ground. See if any new bounties have come up." He took another sip of his bottle, only to find it empty.

"You mean keep your head to the floor, 'cause you'll be too drunk," Jim muttered. "Fine, fine, I'm going... just... try to stumble home tonight? I don't want to come and pick you up again in the morning."

Bidding his partner a goodbye with a tip of his hat, Gene turned back to try and find the girls from before.

He couldn't spy the wild one but he caught sight of the more refined girl heading past the stables towards the general store. Problem was, she was lingering awful close to the alleyway between the two of them, and as Gene watched a pair of tough fellows nudged one another and followed after her. She looked alone. Frowning, Gene checked again. Sure enough, her guardian was nowhere to be seen.

Looked like the little city mouse might've been getting herself in trouble. Gene shook off the buzz he'd been enjoying and quietly followed to make sure she would be alright.

* * *

Melfina.

That was her name. And right now, it was precious to her as anything in this world, because it was almost all she had.

The dark-haired maiden glided along the streets of Sentinel, eyes grazing over the worn buildings and people. She didn't recall every quite seeing a place like this, and despite its rough and tumble appearance it had a sort of rustic charm that appealed greatly to her.

Right now, she was drawn to the general store on the corner, the back window of which had been left open between it and the stables. A pair of bells shaped like six point stars chimed merrily in the breeze.

It wasn't the wind chimes that drew her eye. Nor the beautifully woven dreamcatchers hanging next to them that natives had traded to the community. No, it was that strange symbol on an innocuous looking lantern on the shelf inside. A shape, like a long lizard... or a dragon...

... it seemed to be calling to her...

A hand came down hard over her shoulder, spinning Melfina around. Her parasol fell from her shoulder to clatter on the ground as she stumbled backwards. Two very big men in dusty leathers had blocked off the alleyway exit and were advancing on her, leering with undisguised lust at her lovely figure.

"Well ain't you a purdy little thing," the first said, leaning in close. She smelled whiskey on his breath, so strong she nearly gagged.

"Please leave me alone," she protested, trying to edge past them back towards the main road. No such luck, they were quickly in her way. She started to turn and run down the alleyway and circle around back, but the bigger of the two of them grabbed her arm just above her elbow, and she was trapped.

"Aww, don't be like that, darlin'... we'll treat you right. Find ourselves a nice little place to-"

A shattering sound interrupted his offer, and both Melfina and he turned to regard the other drunkard at the mouth of the alleyway. He had a most comical expression of disbelief on his face, before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward. The great brute hit the ground with a dull thud, broken glass all around him. The first thug looked up in shock to find a red-haired man in a duster and a stetson standing behind him, clutching the remains of the broken bottle.

Gene looked up, almost comically innocent, as he stepped over the down man and towards Melfina and the other one. The huge brute, for his part, grabbed the dark-haired damsel and held on tight to her arm, drawing his revolver with his other hand.

"You bastard! How dare you attack like that! We was just gonna show this cute little filly a real fun time," he said with a grin. It was plain as day the girl was terrified, her bright blue eyes wide and fearful.

"Somehow, I don't think the ladies interested," Gene deadpanned. "Besides, if anyone should be complaining, it's me. That was good whiskey."

"This ain't none of your business, boy... just keep on walkin'"

The redheaded gunslinger cocked an eyebrow, and tugged back on his duster, showing the six-piece resting on his hip. "Care to try that again, fellah?"

Either too drunk or too foolhardy to recognize the dangerous tone in his voice, the drunk raised his own gun and pointed it at Gene, the tip wobbling as his hand shook. "Go get fu-!"

**BANG.**

In less time than it took for a rattlesnake to strike, Gene's revolver had cleared its holster and materialized in his hand, his aim straight and true. Unlike traditional revolvers, it wasn't cast of steel, but a bronze alloy that gave it a dull golden sort of look. It was also a lot heavier built than most, with a longer and wider barrel that required special bullets to use.

And whatever else it looked like, it packed a punch.

The drunken gunslinger was knocked clean off his feet by the force of the blow, dead before he hit the ground. His sudden fall, to say nothing of his death grip on Melfina's arm, sent her crashing to the ground as well. She gave a muffled squawk that was threatening to blossom into a full scream. Gene quickly holstered his sidearm and held up his hands to show he meant no harm.

"Hey, hey, whoa, easy there little missy... it's okay now. I'm not gonna hurt you. I promise."

"W-w-wh-...?" she seemed to be trying to ask a question, and he could guess easily enough what it was.

"Right thing to do, I suppose. I'm Gene," he said, offering his hand to help her up. "Gene Starwind."

"M-Melfina," she intoned, in a voice like a dove's. Her dainty hand slipped into his, and he helped gently pull her back to her feet. She dusted off her dress before letting her fingers slip from his.

"Sorry you've had such a rough welcome to Sentinel, ma'am," Gene said. "You really should be more careful though. What were you doing heading this way?"

"I... I saw something in that store that looked familiar," she explained, pointing. The window of the General Store. Some Dragonite Company merchandise, mostly, and some wind chimes hanging outside on display, shaped like stars. Gene had to admit, they certainly were nice quality. Must've been what caught her eye.

As a fellow appreciator of beauty himself, Gene was glad he'd stepped in to help her, but there was a time and a place for such things, and right now certainly wasn't it.

"Come on, let's get you back inside... whatever you saw should still be there in the morning."

* * *

Gene and Melfina's return to the saloon was met with hushed whispers and mutterings. Evidently the gunshots had been heard, and it seemed readily evident who'd been the one to fire it. The fact that he was now walking into the saloon with a fine lady on his arm meant rumor and gossip were about to go into overtime.

"Is that the local gunslinger? Starwind?"

"I heard he gunned down seven men at the same time! With a gun that only held six bullets!"

"Who's the pretty lady with him? He get engaged?"

"They say his hands are like lightning."

"You blink and it's all over."

"That's why they call him the Caster! 'cause his shooting is like magic!"

Gene Starwind smirked as some of the more outlandish whispers reached his ears. Honestly, next time the story would get told he'd kill seven men with one bullet. It hadn't been nearly as spectacular as all that. He'd simply gotten off a lucky shot and killed one marauder hiding behind another with the same shot. There was nothing mystical about him.

Even so, he loved the stories.

Jim came dashing up to Gene almost the instant he spotted him, likely having already connected gunshots and trouble equaling his partner.

"Bro, you okay?" asked Jim.

"Yeah, sure, you know me. Just defendin' this young ladies honor," Gene said with a grin. Melfina blushed hotly, lowering her gaze shyly.

The other dark-haired woman who was with her came sauntering over. Melfina immediately flew into her arms, as the other woman stroked her back and soothed her fears. Her ward comforted, the wild one turned to regard Gene coldly.

Sensing the tension but deliberately ignoring it, he stuck out his hand. "Nice to meet you. Name's Starwind."

"Hilda," she said sweetly, not taking his hand.

"Hilda and Melfina, huh? Got a last name to go with those?"

"One's enough," she replied. A subtle challenge, but not one worth pursuing, he decided. He had bigger polecats to skin.

"Hey, Jim? Why don't you go let the sheriff know there's a body outside the stables? You can take Melfina with you, she's a witness."

Jim caught the undercurrent in the conversation. "You sure bro?"

"I got this."

Melfina looked questioningly at Hilda, who nodded. That settled, Jim and Melfina departed, leaving Hilda and Gene behind. For a moment, neither said anything, they seemed determine to wrestle the answers out of each other by simply staring into each other's eyes.

"That was a good thing you did back there," she said finally, taking a seat at an empty table.

"Suppose it was," Gene replied ambivalently, joining her.

"Favors don't come free 'round these parts," Hilda remarked, eyeing him coldly. Her eyes were bright like gold, but also cold like metal.

Gene shook his head. "Relax, lady. Honest, there's no debt. Just doing my good deed of the century."

A long silence stretched between them.

"Tell you what, next time I save your little sister I'll be sure to take you for all you're worth, how's that grab you?"

Hilda barked a laugh at that.

"She's not my sister," Hilda explained. "I guess you could say she's _my_ good deed of the century."

The redhead considered that. "You two on the run from something?"

"Something like that," she replied, keeping her golden gaze steady. Challenging, almost. "Got a problem with that, Caster boy?"

Gene snorted at the nickname. "Not at all. Ain't none of my business."

"Could be. I could use a little muscle for what I'm about to pull... and you obviously fit the bill," she said, giving him a calculating once-over.

"We ain't in for anything shady," Gene countered. He and Jim may have killed some bounties in the past, even skirted dangerously close to the edge of the law where it came to apprehending city officials and the like, but overall their actions were strictly legal.

"Oh it's not a crime," Hilda said. "The real crime is letting this sort of treasure go undiscovered."

That got his attention. He practically had dollar signs in his eyes, despite his attempt to sound uninterested. "Treasure?"

Hilda smirked, recognizing he'd been caught. "I'll keep the details to myself, Caster... but it'll totally be worth your while, and then some. You in?"

Gene Starwind considered his next move carefully. True, they had a shop here in Sentinel that was doing some business, but they'd closed it before for long stretches of time. And with no big bounties in the area, he was getting sick of doing odd jobs just to make ends meet. By contrast, a more risqué adventure with a beautiful gal or two sounded like just the thing. It's not like the two of them were going to rob him, he'd already established the younger one was harmless as a kitten.

As for Hilda, well... he'd just have to keep an eye on her. "Deal," he said.

He spat into his hand, she spat into hers, clasped them together across the table, and shook.

* * *

They found Jim and Melfina just outside, stargazing. Gene and Hilda took the time to explain their new partnership and plans to strike out in the morning. Jim wasn't overly happy about it, it sounded much more risky than he usually preferred. But Gene was dead set on this, and Jim _had_ been warming up to Melfina, so he supposed it beat scraping by a living out of their workshop. He was in.

"Where're you two spendin' the night?" Gene asked, adjusting his hat. "We might be able to find you some space at our place," he added, letting his imagination run over the possibilities.

Hilda glanced up at him, smirking. "Pass. We'll find some rooms down the way, meet you back here in the morning... your place is over there, you said?"

He nodded as he pointed out his pride and joy, the Starwind and Hawking General Store. Not quite on par with the likes of the mainstream one nearby, which Swanzo owned, but they doubled as a repair shop for all sorts of odds and ends thanks to Jim's talent with machines. A few more years, and they'd run their competition right out of town.

Gene was in the midst of explaining this to his new partners when he felt a cold chill run down his spine.

That's when he spotted them. They looked innocent enough at first, ordinary men and women going about their business, even though it was well after sundown now. But as they approached Gene and the others in the middle of the street, they pulled out from underneath their dusters, jackets and cloaks a number of white bandanas and used them to cover the lower half of their faces. Bandits. At least six of them. Jim glanced at Gene, catching his eye, then inclined his head. Yeah, he spotted them too. A pair of snipers, one up atop of the water tower, another in the window of a nearby building. So eight total.

"I'd say this night just got a bit more interesting," Gene remarked casually, glad he'd reloaded his revolver after the trouble in the alleyway.

One of the bandits shifted aside, revealing a taller, red-haired man standing behind him. In terms of physical appearance, he could easily have been Gene's kin, red-haired and dark-eyed. In terms of fashion, they could not be more unalike. Gene Starwind wore a tan duster and black, this troublemaker was in a colorful, almost comically bright purple suit that looked more at home on a travelling performer. He too wore a white bandana to cover his face, marked with a red sunburst over his nose and mouth. Gene flinched, recognizing that symbol.

Kei.

These were Kei Bandits.

"Hilda. Glad we finally found you," the lead bandit drawled. "You're coming with us. Dead or alive."

The dark-haired woman tensed, ready to reach for her gun, but Gene stepped casually in front of her, shielding her. The bandit turned to regard Gene, evidently surprised by his boldness.

"You got a name, partner?"

"Tobigera," the bandit replied. "This ain't none of your business, boy... just keep on walkin'"

Gene smirked. "If I had a dollar for everytime I had that..."

Hilda pulled out her revolver and opened fire, slapping down on the hammer each time to maximize the speed of her shots. Tobigera ducked low, using one of his fellow bandits for cover, and returned fire. The other bandits took this as a cue to open fire. Gene swiftly pulled out his own weapon and shot two dead, then ducked to avoid the sniper up on the water tower. His bullet grazed over Gene's red head, nearly missing Melfina as it impacted in the ground.

"Careful you idiots, don't hit the girl!"

Two of the bandits stopped firing, but it was because they were out of bullets. They moved swiftly to reload while the others covered them. Gene took down one but another took his place, and it looked like more were crawling out of the woodwork. He and Hilda weren't going to be enough to hold them all off.

He turned back to Melfina and Jim. "Get out of here! Jim, gimme some cover!"

The young boy reached under his jacket, pulling out the shotgun hidden there, and cocked it with his hand as he spun it around. He had to aim from the hip thanks to the weapons infamous recoil, but his aim was true as he blasted away at the bandits, sending them scattering to avoid his shots. Gene grabbed Melfina's hand and pulled her out of the way, while Jim and Hilda fell back with them.

"Get to the store!" Gene shouted, providing cover fire. A missed shot knocked Tobigera's hat off, but failed to splatter his brains like Gene had intended.

"Don't let them get away, you stupid idiots!"

The bandits opened fire, gunfire erupting in the night sky as they took shots at their fleeing targets. Fortunately for them, none of the Kei Bandits could hit the broadside of a barn from _inside_ said barn.

Unfortunately, one of them got lucky.

Hilda cried out as a bullet hit her shoulder, sending her crashing into a nearby post. Her left arm hung limply, but she grimly fought down the pain and stumbled after the others. Blood stained her black hair from a nasty blow she'd just suffered smacking right into the post, but she grimly ignored it.

"Hilda!"

"Keep going!" she snarled back fiercely. She stumbled, almost losing her balance, but Melfina quickly moved to her side to support her, heedless of the red stains accumulating on her blue dress. Gene provided their cover, opening fire over their heads and ushering them past him, around the back of the building. Jim was already there, holding the door open. Wasting no time, they climbed inside and down the stairs into the cellar of the store.

Jim pushed over some shelves to barricade the door as Gene reloaded his revolver. "That won't hold them long," he muttered, snapping the chamber back into place.

Meanwhile Hilda slumped over onto a nearby crate as Jim and Melfina fussed over her. The small boy ripped off the sleeve of Hilda's shirt, tying off her left arm to try and staunch the bleeding. The blood flowing from her head poured over her right eye, obscuring it in crimson.

A thud came from above, and Gene warily backed away from the door. "They're gonna get in."

"Is there a back way out of here?" asked Hilda.

Jim nodded. "We can climb out the window."

"Then get out of here," she commanded, fumbling at her pocket for a cigarette.

"What about you?"

"Leave me. I'll only slow you down," Hilda said darkly. "Go on without me."

"Hilda, we can't!" protested Melfina. "We don't...!"

"There isn't time! Go!" she shouted.

Jim needed no further promptings, only hanging back long enough to gently push Melfina through the window first. Gene moved to follow, but Hilda caught his arm, her grip tight as her eyes met his.

"Protect her," she said. Her hand pressed against his, and something cold slid into his grip. He looked down to find a single bullet resting in his palm.

Understanding her meaning, Gene nodded, and she let go. The door slammed behind her, leaving Hilda alone.

She slumped with her back against the exit as the Kei Bandits came swarming in. Their leader, a red-haired goon with a bandana mask and a white stetson came in last, only after his subordinates made sure everything was safe. As if there was anything to worry about from an unarmed, half-dead outlaw.

"Time to tie up some loose ends," said Tobigera, lifting up a hand with a pair of razor blades attached to the back of his wrist. "I'm gonna enjoy this."

"So'm I," Hilda replied, reaching over with her good arm and pulling down a nearby blanket, revealing the contents underneath. A number of carefully stacked barrels, the topmost one of which was uncovered. Specifically, barrels of gunpowder.

Hilda drew a deep breath from her cigarette, savoring the look on Tobigera's face almost as much as the nicotine filling her lungs. She then tugged the cigarette from her lips and held it up before her as she spoke her final words:

"Outlaws never go down easy."

And then she flicked her cigarette towards the open barrel and closed her eye.

* * *

The resulting explosion rocked the small town of Sentinel, nearly knocking Gene, Jim, and Melfina flat on their faces from the sheer force of it. As it was, they managed to cross the remaining distance to the stables where their horses were.

"Saddle up Jim," Gene said, wasting no time in throwing a saddle over his own horse.

"What about Melfina?" asked Jim, getting Ehferau ready to go and hauling himself up onto the dark horse.

He didn't hesitate in his reply. "She's coming with us."

"She is?" asked Jim.

"I am?" asked Melfina.

Gene found Outlaw, his own rust-colored mustang, and hopped up onto his trusty steed with an easy motion, offering a hand down to Melfina in the process. "We're not just going to leave you here. Hop on."

She tried, but the long length of her dress didn't make it easy to hop. Or ride, for that matter. Melfina eventually had to settle for riding side-saddle practically in Gene's lap. He wasn't exactly complaining, though it did force her to cling to him awkwardly as they took off. They galloped towards the edge of town and turned sharply right, skirting under a series of street lamps and into the darkness. Hopefully the sudden change of light would throw off immediate pursuit.

When they were a safe enough distance away, so far they couldn't even see the smoke still rising from the remains of their business, they finally slowed their breakneck speed down to something more manageable. Melfina eased her death grip on Gene's neck and slumped forward. She looked impossibly tired, ready to pass out any moment, but stubbornly clung to consciousness. She was stronger than she looked, that much was certain.

Jim maneuvered Ehferau up alongside Outlaw so he could converse with his partner without shouting.

"What now, bro?"

Gene chewed over that a moment. There was no way they could go back to Sentinel. Even if they weren't prosecuted for the destruction that, frankly, wasn't their fault... the remaining Kei Bandits would be waiting for them. Crossing them would make them all very dead, and Gene liked being not dead, thank you very much.

"Keep heading west. We'll head to Farfallus, catch a train heading for Heiphong... figure out what to do there."

His partner nodded, then lowered his voice, and more mouthed his next question than voiced it aloud. "And her?"

The red-haired outlaw glanced down at the raven-haired maiden resting in his arms. "We'll decide what to do about that later," he said. And silently hoped there would be a later.

* * *

**Authors Notes:  
**I got nothing.


	2. The Mystical Skinchanger

About half a mile south of Sentinel on the very same night, a campsite had been set up for the Kei Bandits. Used to being almost constantly on the move to avoid detection, the scattering of wagons was the closest thing they had to a home. Armed guards patrolled the perimeter, ready to shoot anything larger than a prairie dog that came close.

They never even saw her.

Iraga was one of them, of course, but it was also her job to test and weed out weaklings from their group. She moved like a shadow as she slipped into the camp and strolled right up to the leader, completely unnoticed until his gaze fell on her.

The dark-haired Iraga would have been considered pretty once, before the incident that broke her nose. Now she was flat-faced and feral looking. Her dark skin and rough features marked her as a native, one of the original owners of the frontier before the likes of civilization had decided to encroach on it. She was dressed simply, having forsaken then animal skins of her people in favor of something dark, tight, and flexible.

By contrast, the leader of the camp stuck out amongst the dark shadows like a sore thumb, being tall and big, with strong arms and legs and a powerful presence that seemed to instantly command attention wherever he went. His military coat and hat were a shade of dull gray that had only faded from time and wear, covered in buckles and insignia that were a blackened bronze and equally worn. Underneath his hat he wore a dun-colored bandana that covered his lower face, leaving only his eyes exposed, and then only rarely when his hat tilted up just so.

This was her boss. Colonel Hazanko, former member of a now defunct military, and now leader of the Kei Bandits.

"Report," he ordered in a deep voice.

Iraga lowered her head. "Our men were spotted before they could take girl. Hilda was killed in the crossfire. The girl escaped with some bounty hunters from the area. They won't get far."

"Bounty hunters?"

"Starwind and Hawking, according to sign from store they own," the dark-haired girl replied. "Don't own anymore, it would seem."

The names seemed to catch his attention, for he lifted his gaze to peer at her from underneath the brim of his hat. "Did you say... Starwind?"

"Colonel?"

"I know the name Starwind... they fought on the wrong side during the war."

She nodded at that. She hadn't been in the war herself, she'd joined up with Colonel Hazanko afterwards when his Kei had turned to banditry. But she knew enough to know the topic was a sore point with him, and didn't say anything. She just waited for her orders.

Finally, he decided to give some. "Find their trail. Find out where they're going. Then we'll call in additional support and kill the men. It's only the girl I want."

Iraga grinned, her canines unnaturally sharp and white in the moonlight. "Understood."

* * *

They rode their horses like the Devil himself was chasing them, but even Outlaw and Ehferau eventually needed a break. Ultimately, they came to a halt near a patch of cacti in the middle of nowhere. There was nothing around for miles in any direction except sand, snakes, and more sand. If the Kei Bandits were still following them, at least Gene and Jim would see them coming a good mile off.

Jim hopped down from Ehferau and started to gather twigs and brush for a fire, while Gene took their horses and tied them up to a nearby cactus, helping Melfina down in the process. She winced as her feet touched back down on solid earth.

"You alright?" he asked.

"Fine just... sore," she replied, sitting down on a rock near the fire. She winced, rubbing her legs through the long length of her skirt. Gene cleared his throat and looked away in embarrassment.

"Sorry," he said after a moment. "So... Melfina? Hilda... I don't suppose you know what her big plan was?"

A long silence stretched out, as Jim stirred the fire with a stick. Normally, Gene wouldn't broach the subject so soon after someone's passing, but right now they were flying blind. Hilda's treasure could've well been their only way out of this.

"I don't know," Melfina said eventually. "I don't remember."

"Look, anything you can recall..."

"You don't understand," she said, cutting him off. Her voice did not raise, but her tone commanded his attention instantly. "I don't remember _anything_... anything past a couple of weeks ago, when Hilda found me. I... she said I was someone important. Someone special. That I could help her find the treasure of a lifetime. But she never explained what that means. And I don't remember who I am."

"Amnesia?" asked Jim, glancing between the pair of them.

"All I remember are fragments," Melfina said. "Vague images, sometimes I remember voices saying things... but none of it makes any sense. And it always hurts," she added, pressing her hands to her head.

Gene sat down by her side, gently draping his duster around her shoulders to help keep her warm. "Okay... it's okay... we'll figure it out. Do you at least know why those Kei Bandits are after you?"

"Kei?" she asked, puzzled by the term.

"Apparently they're remnants of some military unit that fought in the war," he explained. Maybe that would trigger one of her memories. "You can guess which side they fought for. Anyway, I hear after they lost the last battle their boss, Colonel Hazanko, kept them together with promises of glory and revenge. They've been running wild ever since."

"We had a few run ins with their members in the past," added Jim. "But never anything like this."

The taller man smirked. "We can handle them."

His younger partner rolled his eyes, positive one day Gene's bravado was going to get them all killed, but that it wasn't worth arguing about. At least not tonight. "I'm going to bed," he announced, laying down on the ground beside the fire and propping his hat over his face to shield his eyes from the light.

Which meant Gene was taking first watch. Rolling his eyes but not too worn out just yet, Gene sat himself down on the rock beside Melfina, keeping care not to stare into the flames so they wouldn't obstruct his night vision. Or stare at the beautiful girl beside him and make her feel more uncomfortable than she already was.

As it was, she was in his blind spot, and he didn't see her scoot closer until she laid her head on his shoulder, propped up against him, already half asleep.

"Don't leave me," she murmured.

He draped an arm around her shoulders and leaned back against her to provide her support. "I won't," he promised.

* * *

Jim wasn't terribly surprised to find that, when he woke up, Gene was already passed out just like their new friend. Despite his assurances that he could go days without sleep, Jim knew his partner better than most, and knew he tended to sleep hard and sleep deep. It was a subtle reminder that, for all his deadly bravado and gunslinging skills, he wasn't all that much older than Jim.

Sighing, the younger partner sat up, hiding a massive yawn behind his mouth as he looked around the campsite. However, as his vision cleared and his mind unfogged, he spotted something in the distance. A single, solitary figure... heading right towards them.

"Gene," he whispered, as loudly as he dared, stirring the fire with a stick and trying to discreetly reach for the shotgun hidden behind his jacket.

His partner gave a faint snore, evidently deep in dreamland.

"Gene!" he hissed as loud as he dared, kicking his partner in the shin. The red-haired man snapped awake in an instant, catching the look in Jim's eyes a moment later. _Someone behind you_, Jim said without words, moving his eyes.

Resisting the urge to turn around, Gene hunched over and gently covered Melfina's mouth as she jerked awake, almost giving a scream.

"Shhh," he whispered, moving his hand a moment later. She nodded, keeping her lips pressed together. "Stay low," he said, unholstering his gun to check the bullet count. Fully loaded, he waited and watched, trying to appear as casual as possible.

Seconds ticked past, and the fire crackled between them.

Finally, Jim nodded, and Gene rose up, taking aim immediately at the shadowy silhouette now mere yards away.

"Freeze! Step into the light where we can see you!"

They stumbled forward, the light of the fire illuminating them. It was a native girl, dark-skinned with hair pale as moonlight. She wore the traditional skins of her people, the animal hides of deer and bison, stitched together crudely and leaving her midriff exposed, but covering enough to be decent. Blue paint adorned her cheeks and arms, some sort of native symbols none of them recognized.

"Stay back! I'm warning you," said Gene, drawing his gun and lining her up in his sights.

She lifted her gaze, her eyes jade and dull as stone. She looked at him, but did not seem to truly see him.

"W-water," she croaked, before collapsing onto the ground in front of them. She narrowly missed hitting the fire on her way down.

Jim moved by her side and, with surprising gentleness, turned her over onto her side. He lay the waterskin by her dry and cracked lips, letting her sip at its contents. Not so much he'd accidently drown her, however.

"Jim, that's our water, what if-"

"Shut up," the young boy replied, not bothering to look up. After a moment, the native girl reached up with her hand, gently taking the waterskin from Jim, and drank from it under her own power. Gene kept his six shooter trained on her, but had to admit if this was some kind of trick, she certainly didn't look dangerous. And she was alone. A quick scan of the surrounding landscape revealed nobody else around.

Just the native girl.

* * *

First she finished off Jim's waterskin, then Gene's when that didn't prove to be quite enough. And her stomach rumbled so fiercely that eventually Jim dug into their emergency trail rations as well to help feed her. Gene watched in disgust as the native girl ate enough food for a week in just one sitting.

"Not bad," the girl conceded, washing out her mouth with some more water and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"A little appreciation might be nice," Gene said. "We did just save your life."

"What's your name?" asked Melfina gently.

"Aisha," the native girl replied. "I called Aisha."

The dark-haired woman smiled. "Well, this is Gene Starwind... and James Hawking," she said, introducing each of her companions in turn. "My name is Melfina."

"You're C'tarl tribe, right?" Gene surmised. He and Jim had been through run-ins with the frontier natives occasionally, and they usually did not go very smoothly.

"I not just any C'tarl!" she protested. "I am skinchanger! You know of this?"

The three of them exchanged glances, then shook their heads almost as one.

Seething, Aisha explained. "Skinchanger have power of nature. Bird. Beast. Their power mine. Change skin and fight like animal. No man can stand against me," she proclaimed proudly.

"Show us."

Blink. "What?"

"Go on then, show us your power, oh mystical skinchanger," Gene said sarcastically.

"I... uh... moon not right," she said quickly, grasping at straws. "New moon in night sky. Bad time to skinchange. No moon, no skinchange. Lucky for you," the pale-haired native added defensively. "Great big trouble for you if I bring wrath of ancestors down upon you."

Gene snorted, unimpressed. A silence descended over the campsite at that point, as Aisha continued to tear into their reserves. For such a small thing, she'd evidently worked up quite an appetite. Who knows just how long she'd been wandering the desert all alone?

Finally, the sun rose on the horizon, painting the morning sky a dull pink and yellow, and they decided to move on. Gene again helped Melfina up onto the saddle of Outlaw, while Jim climbed onto Ehferau. The two of them pulled on the reins of their horses, turning to go... and found the native girl standing directly in their path.

"Something we can do for you, ma'am?" Gene asked sarcastically.

Aisha fumed, her ears twitching in obvious distaste, but she swallowed  
almost all the bitterness in her voice before she replied. "You save my life. Now I owe you life debt. Will stick with you until debt is paid. Then I go my own way."

"Psch. Native debt?" Gene replied. "That and a dollar couldn't buy me a good drink. Keep it."

"Not talking to you," Aisha growled darkly. Her gaze flicked over to Jim, and softened just a little. "You save my life. I owe you, James Hawking."

The young man considered that, then ultimately nodded. He held out his hand, and Aisha used his firm grip to climb onto the back of Ehferau.

The four of them rode off, still heading west, towards Farfallus. And hopefully, a brighter future.

* * *

As the four rode off, a vulture cawed from its nearby perch on a high rock. Seconds later, a machete came whistling through the air, decapitating the poor bird before it even had any inkling it was in danger.

Iraga almost casually cleaned the blood off her weapon, smoothing out the eagle feathers set into the hilt, and slid it back into the sheath at her side. It was one of the only things she taken with her following the exile from her tribe, but it was more precious to her than gold.

She sat down on the high rock, watching the outlaws ride west. A long peace pipe of bison bone rested easily in her hand, and she puffed on it as she ran over what she'd learned.

They weren't complete dunderheads, these two bounty hunters that had taken in Melfina. They'd certainly done pretty good in covering their tracks, zig-zagging their route to throw off pursuit. If anyone but Iraga had been following their trail, they might have lost it. As it was, their destination was clear enough now. Farfallus. And now they'd added a native girl to their merry little band.

She drew a long breath from the pipe, letting the smoke stay in her lungs a long while before exhaling slowly, blowing smoke rings in the air. Oh but this was a beautiful development. Not only had Iraga learned where they were headed, but now they had a _C'tarl_ with them.

The dark-haired Iraga was formerly of the Hoke tribe, also known as the Shadows, and there was no love lost between the C'tarl's and the Hoke's. And even if the two of them were both outcasts, as seemed to be the case, blood feuds did not die so easily.

Iraga was going to enjoy making sure she suffered before she broke the girl's back.

The sun climbed slowly up the sky as Iraga waited, stirring the fire and occasionally setting the blanket over it and lifting it up, sending smoke in clumps high up into the sky to signal her location. It was no surprise when later the wagons and horses of the Kei came thundering alongside her. Colonel Hazanko was in the lead on his dark charger. Several Kei Bandits rode up alongside him as he shifted in the saddle.

"Report?"

Iraga grinned, and told him everything she'd heard.

* * *

After a day of hard riding, it was a welcome relief to finally reach Farfallus. High noon had just rolled around when they rode into town, stopping by the stables to ensure that Outlaw and Ehferau were well taken care of, none too sure when they'd be able to see the loyal mounts again. Jim was practically in tears as he bid farewell to his precious steed, but Gene was a bit more practical about it.

They had to keep moving, and moving fast. That meant taking the train.

Tickets were expensive, and Gene was about to raise hell over what he called 'highway robbery' before Jim smoothed the transaction over with some sweet talking. In the end, it cost most of their remaining money for all four of them, but they managed to get the tickets and board the Blue Heaven Express heading west.

Their seats were in the second cabin, closest to the front, right after some privately owned compartment some business bigwig was using, right behind the coal car. They were a bit cramped, but comfortable enough as they settled into their seats.

Melfina kept watched out the window, flinching at every strange sound and shout. She'd never ridden a train before, she'd explained. At least not that she could recall.

"Train not natural," Aisha complained, somehow perfectly at ease despite her distrust of the modern transportation. "Travel by foot, by horse, better. Train not natural."

"At least we won't have to worry about pursuit," Gene said, leaning back in his seat. "Even a _skinchanger _can't keep up with a moving train." Aisha made a face at him.

"We'll be safer once we get moving," Jim said, glancing down the aisle at a newcomer finding his seat. Thankfully, it turned out just to be an old man. Probably a farmer, judging from his attire. Not a threat.

"We can relax now," Gene insisted. "We're perfectly safe."

* * *

**Authors Notes:  
**Please review if you liked it! I am simply starved for reviews!

Decided to change the word 'Indian' for 'native' to avoid offending people. Plus, since this isn't the American west, but something wholly fantasy, it fits better.


	3. The Great Train Assassination

As the train blew its whistle and began to slowly chug its way out of the station, most people stepped away to give it a wide berth as it passed. Those few who stood and watched did some from the safety of the platform, waving goodbye to friends and family as they departed for other destinations.

One exception stood watching from the shadow of the platform, unnoticed and unassuming in the harsh noon day sun.

A woman to judge by her slight figure and narrow shoulders, tall and willowy. She wore a long robe and a red sash, and a wide straw hat atop of her head that shielded her gaze from the sun. A length of black hair escaped from the back of her hat, hinting at long, raven locks.

The mysterious woman watched the train go, tilting her head up to peer out from underneath the brim of her hat. A pair of eyes narrowed dangerously on the transporting vehicle.

Only once it was clear of the station and no one was looking did she make a move. With a single graceful leap she'd cleared the track and grabbed hold of the back of the train, pulling herself up onto the final carriage. None of the conductors even noticed her as she deftly climbed up the ladder and atop of the moving vehicle, crouched low.

Her target was in sight, and she wasn't about to lose them now.

* * *

About an hour passed, and they were well clear of Farfallus by now, and on their way. The passing landscape was gorgeous as the train they were on headed up into the hills and around the mountain pass. Clear blue lakes and entire fields of long grass flew by as they watched themselves chug along.

Gene, however, was restless, and decided after a few hours to get up and stretch his legs, maybe get some fresh air from the back of the train. He was just clearing the midway section of his current compartment when the door in front of him slid open and a figure in a black duster came gliding through. A heavy black hat sat upon their head, obscuring their features as they walked right past Gene, keeping their gaze down to avoid meeting his eyes.

Though somewhat unusual, ordinarily Gene would have thought nothing of it.

Except for the brief glimpse of metal flashing in the light near their hand. And worse still, right there on the back of the figure's neck... a very distinct red sunburst.

A Kei Bandit. Moving towards his friends.

Gene's hand strayed down to his side, ready to draw his weapon the instant the man did anything to threaten Jim or Melfina. However, curiously, he did not stop at the last row of seats where they were sitting blissfully unaware of the danger. The man continued on past them, knocking on the last compartment and exiting this one.

Puzzled and a bit curious, Gene moved to follow him.

"Everything alright, bro?" asked Jim as he passed. Gene passed by him, hand still on his revolver.

"Not sure yet... gonna check it out. Watch the girls."

Jim nodded, reaching behind his back to close his fingers around his shotgun. Aisha also produced a knife from her animal pelts and tensed in preparation of a fight. Melfina merely watched as Gene stepped past their seats and towards the final train car.

* * *

Just behind the coal train and the locomotive that pulled the Blue Heaven Express was the private compartment owned and used by Fred Luo, businessman and entrepreneur.

He was remarkably young, barely over twenty, but remarkably gifted and managing the nuances of such a big empire. Dark hair and pale features were complimented by a simple business suit, a white shirt and dark vest. A splash of red in the form of a tie were his only colors, though he pulled off the look well without seeming morbid. An earring dangling from his right ear helped the image that he was eccentric but harmless.

Overall professional, simple, and friendly.

His compartment reflected that. While everything was cut of a finer cloth than most, being the best money could be, it wasn't overly lavish or needlessly cluttered. A desk, a reading chair, and table, and a fully stocked cabinet in the back. Between that and a few books he'd brought along, the trip would pass relatively peaceful.

Exept the light was dimming, making it harder to read the latest chapter. Fred glanced out the window, noting that the sun had just started to set on the horizon. The twilight between day and night. Greatly curious to findout the actual time, he pulled the golden pocketwatch from his waistcoat and checked the time.

With his gaze down, he heard the door opening to the compartment. Which should have been impossible, considering he was travelling alone. He lifted his head back up.

"Excuse me, this is a private compartment, who do you think...?"

His voice trailed off as he saw the ominous figure in the doorway, holding live steel in their hands and looking downright murderous.

* * *

Suzuka's eyes narrowed murderously. She had only one chance to take down her target. If she missed this opportunity, she might never get another one.

She threw off her hat and attacked.

* * *

A blade swung down, Fred screamed, sure he'd be sliced in half. There was a solid clang as metal struck metal, and after a moment he dared to look up.

Another blade had intercepted the first, the one aimed for him. With a grunt of effort, the second intruder shoved off the first, knocking them back.

Another foreign woman, who looked almost identical to the first. They could have been identical twins, save for the fact that one was dressed in black and one was dressed in white. Even their stances were identical as they faced off against one another, long swords in delicate hands.

"Hitoriga," said the one in white, addressing her darkly-clad counterpart.

"Hello Suzuka. Miss me?" asked Hitoriga sweetly.

She did not deign to reply, except with cold steel. Her sword swung around to cut through Hitoriga's midsection, but the assassin countered and blocked and dodged the swings almost casually.

"Well I'd love to chat but as you can see I'm in the middle of a job, so if you'll excuse me...!"

She lashed out again, kicking over the table Fred had been hiding under and trying to decapitate him. Suzuka knocked her blade out of her hands and slammed the hilt of her own sword into Hitoriga's gut, leaving her momentarily winded.

"Get out of here, you fool!" she cursed, grabbing Fred by his jacket and hurtling him towards the open door. Seconds later it opened as Gene Starwind came storming up, gun upraised. Fred crashed into him, knocking both men into the platform outside sprawled out in each other's arms.

The momentary distraction was all Hitoriga needed to grab up a footrest and smash it through the window, climbing out seconds later.

"You're not getting away that easy!" Suzuka snarled, the expression of rage alien on her pretty features as she climbed through the window and up the side of the train after her quarry.

* * *

Gene was halfway through compartments, in the platform between them, when he heard the crash of furniture and the ring of steel. Throwing open the door to the private car, he got slammed full on by some dandy in a fancy suit, knocking them both back. They were lucky they didn't go tumbling off the side of the train and down into the tracks.

The poor dandy had no idea what was going on, and Gene had no time to argue with him. Gently pushing him aside, he crawled to his feet, watching as a black shadow flitted up the side of the train like the wings of a great bat. Now greatly curious to find out just where his Kei friend had gone, he jammed his hat down firmly atop of his head to keep the wind from blowing it off.

Gene climbed up the side of the train, blinking in astonishment when he saw what was going on. He wasn't quite sure he believed his eyes.

Two women, very beautiful women no less, were engaged in a fight with swords atop of the train. Old fashioned, foreign swords, which of course fit with their exotic features and strange clothes. One was dressed in black robes, the other in white, but apart from that they were practically identical, and could have easily have been twins.

They stared one another down for a moment, wind whipping at their long dark hair, until some unseen signal occurred, and they charged at one another. Swords clashed with a metallic ring as they both sought to end the other's life in the most lethal and brutal manner possible.

Gene drew his gun and lined up the women in his sights, but couldn't bring himself to shoot. For one thing, he didn't know enough about the situation. Who was the woman in white the Kei girl was fighting? Was she an ally? Or another enemy? For another, they were moving too fast, he wasn't sure he could hit the one he wanted without risking the other one.

Suddenly the woman in black turned and ran, leaping right over Gene's head and onto the next compartment. The woman in white followed, as he scrambled back down to the platform and after them. Having no desire to ride the train from the roof, he went through the compartment instead.

Apparently the fight was only getting worse, and Gene had to duck his head seconds before a slender blade pierced the roof and nearly his skull. He scrambled past frightened and terrified passengers, leaving his own friends behind in the previous compartment, and climbed out onto the next platform in time to see Suzuka and Hitoriga leap overhead.

"The hell is going on?!" someone shouted.

_Wish I knew_, Gene thought.

Their fight had intensified, swords clashing with greater intensity, nearly blowing back both girls from the sheer force. Hitoriga, however, seemed to be the stronger of the two, and Suzuka wound up winded within mere minutes, forced to retreat again and again rather than press her advantage.

"I was always better, Suzu," the dark-clad girl said with a wicked grin.

With a sudden surge of energy, Suzuka moved like a blur of white. She came speeding through the air with her sword blazing through the wind. The rays of the fading sunlight reflected off of the polished metal, leaving after-images in the air before it knocked Hitoriga's sword clean out of her grasp, cut her legs out from underneath her, and impaled her clean through the heart, pinning her down atop of the train's roof.

The sun vanished on the horizon as darkness settled, and the light fled Hitoriga's eyes.

The train shuddered, not badly, but enough to throw Suzuka off-balance, sending her tumbling over the side of the moving vehicle.

Instinctively, Gene reached out, grabbing a hold of the red sash wrapped around her waist, and caught her inches from the ground. Indeed, her long raven locks brushed against the sand and dirt before he hauled her back up. She fell into his arms.

"I don't think that was your stop, ma'am," he said when he caught his breath.

* * *

By the time the Blue Heaven Express pulled into the city of Fixed Star, the midway point between Farfallus and Heiphong, half the passengers were ready to walk the rest of the way, scrambling out of their seats and the vehicle as fast as they could. Local law enforcement was already moving to keep everything under control, though by the time they had little left to do but haul away the corpse of Hitoriga.

After somr brief questioning they let Gene and Suzuka go, and the former turned to the latter with some questions of his own. Namely: "What the heck was that all about?"

"My sister, Hitoriga... when she was young she dishonored our family and fled to the States to avoid facing her disgrace. It has taken me this long to find her and end her."

"Ya don't say?"

"And now... now there is nothing left," she said, her voice turning morose. "I have lived for for my vengeance and with it complete, I have nothing left..."

"Excuse me!" a voice interrupted them. They both looked up, seeing the young businessman heading their way. The very same one Suzuka had saved from Hitoriga. They marched right up to Gene and Suzuka, taking both their hands in one each of his and shaking vigorously.

"I can't thank you enough for all you've done."

"I... you're welcome," Suzuka said, withdrawing her hand quickly. Gene wasn't so lucky, as the excitably man switched both his hands to his shaking vigorously.

"Uh yeah, no problem. Uh, look... who are you?"

"Oh, sorry, forgot to introduce myself... I'm Fred Luo, very nice to meet you," he said, still shaking Gene's hand enthusiastically.

Jim, nearby, definitely recognized the name. "Fred Luo? THE Fred Luo?!"

"And who is _the _Fred Luo?" Gene wondered aloud, unimpressed. He pulled his hand back before his arm got pulled off.

"Gene you moron, this is Fred Luo! He's the owner of Silver Cross Railways, the number one manufacturers of railroads and trains in the entire west. The man probably owns this entire railway station."

The dark-haired man laughed, rubbing his ear nervously. "Well, I don't mean to brag..."

"Yet somehow I suspect you're about to," Gene said with a sarcastic humor.

"But the kid's right. And I owe you my life. Both of you," he said, encompassing Suzuka as well as Gene. "If there is any way I can possibly repay you..."

Suzuka dipped her head politely. "I must decline. Saving you was incidental, my goal all along was only to end Hitoriga."

_Aw hell_, thought Gene. Now that she'd turned down his offer, Gene couldn't very well take Fred for everything he had. Wouldn't be civilized. Instead he said, "I'd settle for a stiff drink on the house, if you're buyin'"

"Normally I'd love nothing more," said Fred with a charming smile. He caught sight of something in the crowd of people, and his expression turned from charming to dour in a split second. "Unfortunately I see _Mrs_ Luo coming this way now... and she frowns upon my hanging out in such... establishments. Here, though..." he said, flipping a gold coin into the air. Gene deftly caught it. "Your first round is on me."

Out of habit, Gene bit down on the metal, finding it genuine. By the time he looked up again, poor Fred had been dragged off into the crowd and was speaking with some woman. He didn't look like he was enjoying himself. If anything, it looked like his wife, who was almost a good head taller than he was and built like a locomotive herself, was giving him a royal chewing out.

_Some people just have all the luck_, Gene thought with a grin.

* * *

Once repairs were finished to the train, the passengers were allowed to re-board. Thankfully, Jim had kept their ticket stubs to prove the still had a fully paid trip all the way to Heiphong. He, Aisha, and Melfina had already boarded by the time Gene had managed to answer nature's call and get back to the train. It was just about ready to leave.

He was just climbing aboard when a hand came out and rested on his shoulder, halting him. Glancing back, he saw the foreign lady Suzuka standing there, somewhat cleaned up and much fresher looking than before, but still very much lost.

"If you have but a moment"

"Can't say I do," he said, hearing the whistles. "She's pulling out."

"I have but one question then. Why did you save me?"

"Reckon it was the right thing to do," the red-haired outlaw replied. "It's a high road and it ain't easy to follow, but I aim to walk at least somewhat close to a good path. Seems like you try to do much the same."

She nodded solemnly. "And what of you, Gene Starwind? What path do you follow?"

"Once we get settled I plan to give those Kei Bandits Hell. Care to come with?"

"I think I will," said Suzuka after a moments thought. "If nothing else it promises to be a very interesting trip."

Gene smiled, spat into his hand, and offered it to her. Bemused, she didn't take it for a shake, but bowed politely instead.

They had an accord.

* * *

**Authors Notes:  
**Hopefully I blindsided a few fans by having Hitoriga as Suzuka's target, rather than Fred Luo. I had to take some licenses with their respective backstories (as well as gender, for him) but overall it should fit well, I think.

And of course, likewise with the lack of real world West references, Suzuka and Hitoriga are subsequently "foreign" and "far eastern" rather than specifically Japanese or Chinese (the angle I'd originally planned to work).


	4. The Good, the Bad, and the Outlaw

The gold dollar Fred gave them more than paid for Suzuka's ticket for the rest of their trip, as well as a little extra left over. Nearly two full days later, the five of them finally arrived in Heiphong.

The city had fallen on hard times. On the border with a hostile southern nation and several native tribes, the place had a strong military presence in order to protect the interests of the growing country. However, that did not mean the people were happy and prosperous just because they were orderly and lawful. Quite the opposite. It was a lot rougher than Farfallus, or even Sentinel. If anything, the military presence was making things worse, people were resentful of their rules and regulations. Spent more time fighting each other than common criminals. Corruption was rampant, bribes were almost a way of life.

Still, it was ideal destination for those of lesser crimes or just a general desire to get away. Keep out of the armies way, and you were gold.

As the train hissed to a stop at the station and its passengers disembarked, Gene, Jim, Melfina, Aisha, and now Suzuka climbed out of their compartment, some of them taking a moment to stretch their legs or recover their meager possessions. They didn't have much to show for it, but in the end, that just made it easier to keep moving. Most of them didn't even warrant a second glance from the other passengers. However, Melfina's dress, with only a smidgen of dust to show for her travels, really stood out amongst them. To say nothing of the great beauty drawing eyes of men young and old. She was a delicate flower amongst barren rocks, and just about everyone passing by noticed.

Seeing as how they'd already run into Kei bandit trouble once on this trip (and he wasn't convinced it was a coincidence either), Gene decided not to take chances. A blue poncho was purchased from a clothing vendor passing by, and draped over Melfina, who offered no protest. Now the five of them looked largely inconspicuous from any other sort of travelers.

As they continued into town, Melfina caught sight of something. It flitted past her vision too fast to completely register, but she was positive she'd seen it. And with the image came a flash and a memory:

A shape, like a long lizard... or a dragon...

Melfina sighed, and shook her head as it started to pound painfully. Why couldn't she remember?

* * *

The five of them wandered into town as unobtrusively as possible but despite their best efforts seemed to draw more than a fair share of unwanted attention. Gene figured they might draw less attention if they were split up, beckoned Jim over as the girls went on ahead.

"I'm gonna see if I can rustle up some information," Gene said, glancing at a nearby saloon. "See about rooms for the next few nights. We may be here a bit."

"What do I pay with?" Jim asked. "We're not exactly swimming in cash."

Sighing, the red-haired outlaw pulled out what was left of Fred's good fortune. Though it would have bought him a much needed swig of alochol, he reluctantly tossed it to Jim. Seemed he was drowning his troubles in water today.

"Get the cheapest rooms you can find. One for the girls, one for us."

"You got it bro. I'll come find you later?"

"I'll find you," Gene replied.

"Maybe you should take Aisha with you then? I don't like the idea of you having no one watching your back."

Gene glanced over at the native girl, who didn't look thrilled at the idea either. Still, he had to admit, another set of eyes might be useful.

"Alright. You get settled then we'll find you," Gene said, beckoning Aisha to follow.

Nodding, the two men parted ways, Jim leading the dark-haired ladies further down the street towards the nicer part of town, while Gene and Aisha ambled down to the seedier part of town. This wasn't Sentinel, but the red-haired outlaw knew his way around the rougher parts of a city easy enough. Time to try and find out a little more about their Kei Bandit problem and Melfina. He was sick of just running and firing blindly.

As Gene passed through the swinging doors of the Angel Links Saloon, he paused to take a better look at the wanted posters on the wall outside. Two men wanted for, if the paper was to be believed, more crimes than they had laws against. The one on the left, the older of the two, was a handsome enough individual, with slicked black hair and a scar on his lips. The one on the right was fair-haired and too girlish to be handsome, he looked more like a pretty-boy, especially with his hair in a ponytail like it was.

Below were their names: The Hell-raisin' MacDougal brothers, Ron and Harry.

Wanted Dead or Alive.

* * *

Finding a hotel wasn't the main problem for Jim and his companions.

The trouble was finding a hotel that wasn't full up. It seemed Heiphong had recently been flooded by refugees from down south, pouring in after a great drought in the region. Finally, however, he managed to secure his two rooms. One for Melfina, Aisha and Suzuka, the other for himself and Gene.

It was only two beds per room, one of the girls was going to have to make use of the floor. Suzuka took the time to clean for and sharpen her sword, running a whetstone along the edge to keep it keen. Fascinated despite herself, Melfina watched her from the opposite bed.

A knock at the door announced their companion, who stuck his blonde head in. "If you two don't mind staying here I'll go find Gene," Jim said.

"Didn't he ask that he find us instead?" asked the foreign swordswoman.

"Even so, he's been known for finding trouble when I'm not around. Will you two be alright?"

"I believe so," Suzuka replied with a gracious tip of her head. Her eyes met Jim's, and the unspoken words were clear as well. She would protect Melfina.

"Alright. We'll be back before sundown."

Jim left them be, and Suzuka returned to her work, while Melfina leaned against the windowsill, staring out at the town of Heiphong. So different from Sentinel, and yet so alike. And also, it seemed, somehow familiar to her.

Since things had settled down a bit, she was spending her time trying to recall the thing that had set off her memories earlier at the train platform. Sadly, nothing was doing it for her. It was like walking down a hallway of doors. Every so often one would open, but it was far away and by the time she truly turned her attention to it, it was closed, locked, bolted, and braced from the inside. She couldn't remember anything past the last few weeks. Her time with Hilda, and now Gene, Jim, Aisha and Suzuka.

Melfina sighed softly, gazing out the window at the horizon, and hoped Gene was having an easier time finding answers than she was.

* * *

Gene sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This was getting him nowhere.

No one had even heard much about Kei Bandits this far west. This was Ban territory as far as marauders and bandits went, and they were a poor and pitiful bunch compared to the strong arm of the military. It was the army everyone had to worry about. And Silgrians natives, who while not savage were quick to dispute territory and get underfoot, or else scare settlers away. But that threat had been declining sharply in recent months.

Normally, Gene wouldn't have cared to ask why, but with Aisha standing beside him, looking somewhat curious, he felt ventured to ask a token inquiry. She may have been C'tarl tribe, but the native tribes tended to have a common stake in the future of the frontier.

"So what happened? They made peace with the locals?"

"They're getting slaughtered," replied the bartender bluntly. "In droves. The army's not doing it, that's for sure, but they're not exactly complaining. One less problem to get rid of, after all."

Aisha growled, ears twitching, but Gene held her back with an arm.

"Er, thanks for your help," Gene said. "If anything else comes up let us know, would ya? We'll be staying in town for a while."

"I doubt it," said the barkeep. "Fresh fish doesn't last long 'round these parts."

"Thanks a lot, jerk," Gene muttered under his breath. He took up a spot near the end of the bar, wondering where to go next. Smartest thing to do would be to check out local bounties and try to bring them in. Maybe those MacDougal brothers the wanted signs outside spoke of. Either way, they'd need some coin before long. If he couldn't find any decent bounties he'd have to find some other work. Either decent work or the other kind.

Gene sighed, wishing more than anything else he could get a strong drink and a good night's sleep.

"Rough day, darlin'...?"

He looked up. A young woman stood before him, wearing a bright red dress that put on display all of her best features. Puberty had been inordinately kind to her, blessing her with an abundance of hip and bosom, the sort that would make most priests curse their respective Gods for celibacy vows. She had pale skin and an abundance of auburn hair put up in a bun atop of her head.

She fluttered her metallic fan in front of her face, hiding all but her eyes. "Lookin' for a fun time, darlin'?"

He actually winced at that, even as he struggled not to outright turn her down. It was obvious what her profession was, and no matter how nicely she was phrasing it, it was going to cost. He didn't have any way to pay.

"'fraid not," he replied somewhat dourly.

"I can make it worth your while," she said, reaching out a hand to rest on his arm, her eyes meeting his. Strangely, he didn't even seem to see them. At her touch, suddenly, all he could think of was Melfina. And with a look of such profound sadness on her face.

Gene smiled ruefully, wishing he'd met such a fine specimen a year ago. As it was, even if he could pay now, he suspected he'd still turn her down. "I'll have to politely decline," he said, tipping his hat. "Much obliged for the offer, however."

"Afraid it wasn't an offer... Gene Starwind."

* * *

Seeing Gene was getting hit on by the local lady, Aisha slipped over to the other side of the bar, keeping her mouth shut and her ears open. Despite the common assumption she was just a simple savage, she happened to be highly intelligent. It was just her grasp of the common tongue that prevented her from seeming so amongst so-called 'civilized' folk.

She glanced over at a nearby table where a friendly game of poker had been set up, watching as cards and coins exchanged hands almost faster than she could keep up with. Despite that, within minutes she had the rules more or less down pat, and considered throwing her own meager possessions into the pot to earn a little free money.

This notion vanished, however, as the boy at the far end of the table gave a chuckle and threw down his hand. All four aces got him the entire pot, and he was laughing the whole time. But it wasn't his laughter that drew Aisha's gaze. Nor was it the cerulean blue locks of hair that stood out amongst the somber browns and blacks of most other patrons. It wasn't even the fact that, she'd been keeping track, having all four aces should have been impossible. No, what drew her eye was the rattlesnake skin bracer around his wrist. The design was unmistakably Silgrian, only they worked snake skin in a pattern like that. Their people wore them almost as soon as they could ride a horse. And Silgrians never parted with those while they still drew breath.

Which meant... Aisha had just found the reason they were disappearing from the reason. And he was laughing without a care in the world.

Her ears flattened against the side of her head as the pale-haired native growled dangerously. Unfortunately, the blue-haired boy glanced up at the moment, and caught sight of her glaring at him. Likely, he couldn't even tell she was C'tarl instead of Silgrian, but she was native, and she looked pissed.

"Somethin' I can do for you, girl?" he asked with deceptive mildness.

Now to be fair to Aisha of the C'Tarl, she prided herself on being a disciplined skinchanger, able to rise above petty insults and stupid remarks, and planned to force a confession out of the young bandit to his crimes, drag him before some lawful official, and see to it he was punished according to his crime.

Then tear out his soul with her bare hands and devour it _whole_.

This was her thought process when a gunshot went off and Aisha's instincts kicked in, and she threw herself bodily at the young upstart.

* * *

Gene had frozen, not even bothering to ask how she knew his name. In mere moments he was in motion, reaching for his gun. The woman's fan swung around, however, striking his wrist and knocking his aim off. His shot went skyward, hitting the chandalier high above.

Broken glass came raining down as the tavern exploded into chaos. Tensions had always been running high since the army came in and started making life for everyone miserable, criminals and common folk alike. Both were present here tonight, and their fuses were short. A single spark lit up the place like a powder keg, and within seconds fists and bullets were flying and furniture was being smashed and hurled around. The only man completely unphased by the destruction was the piano man in the corner, who simply switched music sheets and began to play a lively tune.

Several farmers went sprinting for the door and out of harm's way as Gene tried to jump back and get some distance between him and the red-clad tart trying to carve his lungs out. She lashed out with her fan, nearly slicing off his nose with the razor tip, and came around with another wild swing, which he only narrowly avoided. The thing didn't seem overly dangerous, though it was clearly metal and sharp. The real danger came from the greenish tint to the tips. Poison, likely. One scratch and he was dead.

He ducked aside her next slash and grabbed the back of a free chair, hurling it between them, trying to get some space to open fire on her, ducking behind an overturned table.

"Who the hell are you, lady?!"

"Hamushi of the Kei," she replied, pausing a moment to close and unfurl her fans opposite side, showing the familiar mark of the Kei Bandits. "And you are Gene Starwind. Tell me where Melfina is and I'll kill you quick."

"Tempting," he replied, picking up someone's fallen bottle. "Here's my counter-offer!"

He lobbed the drink first, then rolled around the table and came up gun blazing. She ducked aside easily, almost dancing out of the way of his clumsy gunshots, and came around again for another slash with her fan. Gene kicked her in the midsection with his boot and aimed his revolver, intending to blow her head off. Alas, he was out of bullets, and his gun clicked dry.

"Sonova-!"

She gave a short laugh as she spun about, kicking another brawling fool out of her way, and lashed out with her fan. Gene turned and fled, putting space between them, and vaulted up and over the top of the bar to safety. Hamushi in turn, spun her body and hurled the fan through the air like a discus. The fan thudded into the back of the bar, just narrowly missing his head as he ducked back down. The bartender had long since skeedaddled, but he bumped into Aisha, who'd just climbed in from the opposite side.

"What going on?"

"No idea!" he shouted. "Is he with the Kei too?"

"Probably! Talk big game but not sure can back it up!"

"Everyone one of you bastards is going to die die DIE!"

The blue-haired idiot was laughing as he opened fire. His idea of shooting seemed less about lining up a target in his aim and more emptying his chambers until everything in the immediate vicinity was riddled with bullets. He'd already traded out his two primary firearms for another pair of revolvers strapped to his back, and continued to fill the air with gunfire.

"I'd say he can back it up just fine," Gene remarked as splinters rained down over their head. Thankfully, the bar held up against most of the attack. As did a fine bottle of bourbon. Gene pulled it out and tugged the cork out with his teeth, spitting it aside and taking a deep swig.

"Ahh, that hit the spot."

Another gunshot sent a bullet throught he side of the bar and right through the glass in Gene's hand, shattering it and splattering its rich alcoholic contents everywhere, including his hand. Sighing, the red-haired outlaw rolled his eyes and wiped his hands on his pants. Not that it helped.

"Care to change dance partners?" he asked as he calmly re-loaded his sidearm. Only two bullets, he'd left everything else with Jim. Still, it should be enough. He spun the chamber and snapped into place.

The pale-haired girl shook her head. "I take pretty one," Aisha remarked.

She immediately vaulted over the bar and gave a native battle cry, hurling herself bodily at the blue-haired maniac and knocking them both to the ground. His guns slid out of his grip as the two of them wrestled for dominance, with the clear favor being on the side of the short but muscular native girl then her opponent.

Her partner made a face. "Pretty one?" _Him?_ he thought silently_. Aisha can be so weird sometimes_.

"Come out and pla~ay, Gene Starwind!"

Grumbling about pushy women, the red-haired outlaw came out gun blazing. He only had two shots, and he did his best to make them count, using the first as a feint to force Hamushi down the path he wanted her to go, then trying to end their encounter with a bullet through the heart.

Hamushi kicked a chair in his path, however, and Gene stumbled over it, his shot going off wildly, crashing to the ground, nearly biting his tongue as his jaw struck first. Ignoring the pain, he rolled onto his back, just in time to see her plant a high heeled foot on his chest, pinning him down beneath her weight. Hamushi pulled out a derringer from behind her derriere and pointed it at Gene's forehead, cocking the trigger. Even with such a tiny pea-shooter, there was no doubt she'd kill him at this range.

"Say good-bye, Caster...!"

Gene Starwind was out of shots, but as long as he drew breath he was never out of options. He kicked up hard just as Hamushi pulled her trigger. The shot fired was therefore erratic, bouncing off a decorative metal mug mounted on the wall and striking the thin rope holding up the chandalier. Already frayed and shaken up by his earlier shot, this proved the last straw, and the rope simply let go of its heaven burden as it snapped. Gene rolled backwards as the chandalier and all of its twisted metal and sharp glass came crashing down atop of the red-clad tart with a mighty crash, cutting off her screech before she could properly voice it.

"Good-bye," Gene remarked sarcastically.

By now most of the fighting had subsided, either patrons had fled, been beaten into submission, knocked unconscious or, in rare circumstances like Hamushi, killed. Gene looked over to see Aisha with the blue-haired idiot in a headlock, threatening to rip him apart and devour him whole if he didn't confess his crimes.

The thump of boots announced armed soldiers piling in the doors, guns up and ready to use them.

"Don't move! Stand still! Surrender or we will open fire!"

Taking quick stock of their situation, Gene was sore all over from his dance with the Kei Bandit Bitch, but figure he still had some fight in him. Aisha was bleeding from a cut just above her forehead, but she'd live. Still, they were in no condition to take on so many men, especially armed and ready for them. Plus, these were soldiers, they were just upholding the law.

Gene reluctantly raised his hands and meekly surrendered.

* * *

It was called Fort Hecatonchires, and it was not a pleasant place. Not that they saw much of it, as the soldiers ushered them inside and threw them directly into the jail. Gene hit the ground hard, wincing as his knees struck the ground. He staggered back to his feet as Aisha was thrown to the floor alongside him. The iron bars clanged shut as Gene threw himself at them, shaking the metal.

"Hey! You can't do this you misbegotte-!"

"That's enough!"

A new voice cut through the air, deep and booming, and the soldiers fell back at once, coming to attention even before their officer had cleared the doorway.

"Major Duuz, sir!"

No small man himself, Gene barely came up to this guy's chest, Durz wholly towered over him. The spiky shoulder guards of his uniform served to emphasize the wideness of his frame, easily twice that of Gene's. Moreover, he seemed to be made of pure muscle, his arms were thick as most men's legs, his legs like tree trunks. He wore a star-like badge of silver that indicated he also filled in as the role of sheriff here in this frontier town.

If it came down to a fight, Gene didn't fancy his chances. Even so, it wasn't in his nature to back down.

"You in charge?" he spat.

"I'm commander of this fort and charged with the protection of this city, yes."

"Oh good, 'cause I want to lodge a formal complaint. I-"

"Shut up, outlaw. There's at least three dead because of you, and the doctors say another may not live the night. Countless more are injured, and that bar has been tore up to Hell and back. You're in a lot of trouble right now. So if I were you I'd keep a lid on it."

"We were attacked," Gene protested. "The Kei Bandits came after us. My companion and I were defending ourselves. We did nothing wrong."

"Then why're they after you? For that matter, why're you after him?" Durz asked, indicating the MacDougal in the adjourning cell. The blue-haired boy was leaning against the bars with an easy grin on his face, looking like he didn't have a care in the world.

"He attack my people," Aisha said. "Try to attack me."

Durz snorted. "For all I know you're the bandits disturbing the peace," the bigger man replied.

"I'm no bandit," Gene protested. "I'm a bounty hunter, professionally. And legally, I might add."

"You're lawless scum," Durz replied. "Making a mess in my town."

"He's lying, sir!" spoke up one of the men. "We should hang 'im. Him and his animal!"

"Who're you calling an animal?!" snarled Aisha.

"Shut up, both of you!"

"You shut up!"

All conversation fell dead silent as the door slammed open. A single man stepped in, wearing a red duster. A black six-shooter hung easily at his side. He had some vague semblance to his brother, the tilt of his nose, the shape of his eyes. But beyond that they were unalike as day and night. He dark-haired and cold, his brother pale and animated. The scar on his lips made him easy enough to identify.

Ronald MacDougal. The elder brother.

"Well now, Major Durz. Fine evening, isn't it?"

The major frowned but did not say anything for a moment. "I suppose it is," he finally managed. "Looks like we might get a storm tonight though."

"Come to get my brother. Give him to me and we'll trouble you no longer."

"Your brother disturbed the peace," Major Durz responded. "Not something easily ignored."

The other man rolled his eyes at this, glancing left and right a moment, taking in the sight of the other soldiers. Major Durz nodded, and he took this as a signal. A sack of dollars was set on the desk beside the huge man, who signaled one of his subordinates to unlock the cell and let the blue-haired criminal just waltz right out.

"Hey, what's going on?" demanded Gene.

"I'm gettin' off scott free. See you later, cowboy!" crowed the younger MacDougal brother with a playful wave. His older brother cuffed him upside the head furiously.

"Shut up, Harry. You're in enough trouble as it is. Major Durz," he said, dipping his hat to the army officer. He escorted his brother out of the jailhouse as Gene shook the bars in outrage. They had just blatantly bribed a military man into getting their sentence dropped. They were wanted criminals and they just walked out like it was nothing.

"Hey, this is ridiculous! You call this law?!"

A heavy fist slammed on the bars, making Gene stumbled back despite himself. "Don't talk to me like you know the situation, outlaw! Don't talk to me like you know anything at all. This _is_ the law. _My_ law!" snarled Durz. "Now keep quiet or you'll be hanging before the next sundown."

The two MacDougal brothers exited the prison, the older pausing by the doorway to glance once more back at the cells, his golden gaze meeting Gene's. The two men glared at one another, and a silent promise was made that things were not over. Not by a long shot.

"Keep a watch on these two," Durz replied, tossing the keys to one of his underlings. The man nodded and took up his post at the desk as Gene cursed and sank back down into a seat, glaring through the bars. Aisha growled, low and deep in her throat, but kept quiet as she gazed up at the bars on their tiny little window, out at the red sky. Clouds were gathering thickly. A storm _was_ coming. A big one.

Their one consolation was that Jim was out there. He'd find a way to fix this. For Gene, it wasn't been their first troubled run-in with the law, it wouldn't be the last.

For now, all they could do was wait.

* * *

"You need to be more careful Harry," admonished the older man, shaking his head ruefully.

"Aw man I'm sorry bro. Just... well I got caught up in the moment, ya know? Like that one time I did with the School Marm, and their was blood everywhere..."

Not in the mood to hear his little brother growing up, Ron cut him off sharply. "Nevermind that. I've had enough dealing with these military lapdogs. Today was the last straw."

His little brothers eyes lit up. "Oh man, does that mean-?"

"It does. Today we take them all out. Then we're the law around here."

* * *

By the time Jim had reached the Angel Links and learned what had transpired there, and then made his way to the military outpost, it was late in the afternoon. Well past lunch time, not that any sort of food was being served to Aisha or Gene. They both leapt up as they saw their young partner joining them, however, strolling into the jail bold as brass, and proceeded to call for Major Durz so they could discuss bail and proper legal procedures.

Outside, the storm was raging high up in the heavens above. Thick, black clouds hovered menacingly over the poor town of Heiphong, drowning out much of the light. The winds picked up, and thunder rumbled high overhead. Curiously, there was no rain falling yet.

Inside, a storm of a different nature was brewing, as Gene, Jim, and Aisha tried to convince Major Durz and his soldiers that they were innocent of any wrong-doings, that they had the wrong people locked up in custody, or at the very least, they deserved bail and a fair trial under the law. To say it was like pulling teeth was not an unfair assessment.

But so fiercely did they argue and fight none of them noticed when, outside, a wagon was rolled through the gates of the fort and right up before the jail, and a pair of infamous outlaw brothers climbed around the sides and to the back. Harry was positively cackling in anticipation.

Pulling back the tarp on the back he revealed a pair of armed and prime cannons, aimed right at the side of the fort.

Etched in the side of one was 'Shangri La' while the other bore 'El Dorado' as its monicker.

Lightning split the skies, and thunder crackled overhead.

"Now!"

"Fire in the Hole!" Harry crowed as he lit the first cannon and opened fire. The blast ripped through the heavy stone walls of the fort and jail alike, the force of the blast sending soldiers crashing to the ground, many dead within minutes.

Ronald followed up his brothers attack with some tossed whiskey bottles, splashing highly flammable liquids everywhere. Seconds later a great flaming torch joined them, and the whole area started to go up in smoke and fire. Soldiers started running amuck, but gunfire from the MacDougals quickly took them down in droves.

Inside the jail, smoke from the fire was already rising, and Gene and Aisha threw themselves at the bars of their cell, desperate to get out. Keeping a clearer head, Jim started to search for the keys.

"It's him! The big guy, he's got the keys!"

"Hurry!" shouted Aisha.

Jim fumbled with the keys, but ultimately found the correct one and inserted into the lock, giving a twist. The door open immediately, and Gene and Aisha stumbled out. Jim tossed them their weapons.

"We have to get out of here!"

"The MacDougals are out front," Jim reported. "I saw them both. They're ready to catch anyone who tries to make a break for it. And the fire's coming from the back. How do you _suggest_ we get out?"

Gene pondered that, unsure, but Aisha evidently had the answer, kicking over a nearby desk and pushing it up against the wall of the jailhouse. She scrambled up the side of the wall, out the narrow window, and up the side of the building.

"I like the way she thinks," Gene said, sliding up against the wall and putting his hands together. He gave his shorter partner a boost, sending him up first, and together the three of them climbed over the side of the jail, furthest from both fire and criminal duo.

"Now what?" asked Jim.

"Now we give 'em Hell!" shouted Gene, rushing towards the end of the roof and giving a leap. "Geronimo!"

Neither MacDougal was ready for the red-haired outlaw to come at them from above, and ducked aside as bullets richoceted off of their cannons. By the time they'd returned to them, he was already sprinting around to the stables, ducking out of sight and peppering them with gunfire. Nothing meant to kill or maim, just keep them on edge and make it harder to mount an effective offense.

With the MacDougals distracted, Jim climbed around the front of the building and kicked open the front doors, finding Major Durz. Grimacing, he grabbed up the bigger man and, with a mighty heave, started to drag him outside as the jailhouse started to collapse under its own roof, flames licking the ceiling. Thunder boomed overhead, and lightning flashed in the skies, momentarily blinding those in the fort. When vision cleared again, Harry looked up to see Aisha coming charging at them on all fours, loping along the ground like some ferocious beast. He opened fire with his sidearm, but she ducked and weaved left and right to avoid his clumsy shots. Out of bullets, Harry tossed down his empty gun and swiveled the 'Shangri La' on its turret, taking aim.

"No you idiot!"

But Harry didn't listen, and lit up the cannon, lobbing a ball of iron through the air at the native girl.

Aisha ducked at the last moment, the ball whizzing right over her head to smash into the armory, sending the whole building sky high as the gunpowder caught flame. The native girl rolled to her feet and drew her knife, hurling it through the air. Aisha's throw was true, her dagger buried itself almost up to the hilt in Harry's side. Such was the fierceness of her blow it nearly went clear through his ribs and through his heart. He gave a most undignified screech, clutching his wound.

Ron's eyes widened in shock as his little brother fell backwards in the wagon, blood splattering everywhere as he screamed in agony. Then his shock turned to anger, and his gun came up, determined to send as many down to Hell to pave the way for his little brother and himself. He had no illusions about escaping this incident alive anymore, nor did he wish to. So long as he avenged his brother and made them pay.

"Come on you sons of whores, come and face me!" he roared, shooting approaching soldiers. Despite his fury he was coldly accurate, gunning them down in ones and twos without so much as taking a scratch from their returned fire.

"You're all gonna suffer just like Harry is!"

"Don't count on it, bastard!" shouted Gene, rising up out of the smoke. He and Ron turned towards each other, weapons rising up at identical speeds. They were equally fast. Ron may as well have been another Caster.

The question now was: were they equally accurate?

Gene and Ron both fired at the same time. Their bullets arced through the air, so perfectly timed and aimed they collided with one another in a shower of sparks. Both gunmen shared a look of puzzlement at the strange display before opening fire with their remaining bullets. Each struck the others until the ground was littered with bent bullets and neither of them had so much as a scratch on each other. They could only blink stupidly as they realized they were evenly matched. Comically so.

Reacting first, Gene reached for a fresh clip, but Ron turned and ran instead, sprinting around the side of the wagon and hauling himself up onto one of the horses. He snapped the reins, and they were on the move. His little brother screamed afresh as the motion jostled him, but Ron couldn't spare his pain a thought right now. Their lives were all that mattered.

Bullets whizzed over his head, but Ron kept his gaze up as they cleared the fort's gates and went speeding off southward. Thunder boomed overhead, and lightning flashed, and now finally rain did start to pour down as the Hell-raisin' MacDougal brothers made their getaway. Not perfectly clean, but they were alive, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

With the MacDougals in retreat and the rain pouring down helping in the fire fight, things started to settle in Fort Hecatonchires. Gene sighed, slumping against a nearby wall, while Aisha stumbled along through the mud to where Jim was. For his part, the young gun was watching the flames around the armory as they spluttered and died out, the rain making them weak and feeble as soldiers from the fort continued their efforts to fight the fire and salvage what and who they could from it.

Jim was watching the spluttering conflagration as he heard a groan and watched as Major Durz started to stir by his feet. Crouching down in front of the bigger man, the short kid still loomed over him.

"Saved my life..." croaked the army officer.

"You're welcome," Jim said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I don't understand," Durz started to say. He tried to push himself to his feet, but failed. His badge fell loose from his coat and rolled across the ground, stopping by Jim's boot. "Why...?"

"'cause it was the right thing to do," Jim replied. "If doing the lawful thing means don't the wrong thing, then I'd rather be an outlaw. So would they," he added, indicating his partners.

"It's never that simple, kid."

"I'm not a kid," Jim replied. "And you're no officer of the law."

"Sometimes you find yourself fighting a force you can't overcome," Durz said mournfully. "What do you do then? Do you continue fighting a hopeless fight? Or do you become evil to overcome evil? It's a lose-lose situation all around. You wouldn't understand."

"I understand enough. I understand that I'd rather die than do what you've done. You kept the peace, sure, but at what cost? Because what's lawful... and what's right... ain't always the same thing," Jim said, pocketing the badge. "I'll keep this safe."

Durz growled, low in his throat, and tried to rise back up again, but still he couldn't find the strength, and collapse underneath his own weight.

He'd lost.

* * *

In the end, it was Major Durz was occupying what remained of his infamous jail cells, while Gene had been given a pardon for assisting in the matter. Durz' subcommander, a blonde-haired Captain named Valeria, had assumed command of the military presence in the region. She promised Gene and Jim that he would answer for his crimes. A court martial would be held, but it seemed unlikely Durz would ever hold a command again.

The fort itself was salvageable. Durz's career was not.

Gene sighed in relief as they finally reached the inn where they'd be spending the next few days. The sun was just starting to reach the horizon, marking the end of a very long, tiring day. Melfina and Suzuka met them in the common room, having been watching from the windows. The younger dark-haired woman rushed forward with relief when they finally came into sight.

"Gene, what happened to you?" asked Melfina, taking in the sight of his disheveled duster. He smelled vaguely of smoke and gunpowder, and his hair was all messed up by sweat and grime.

"You could say we've had an interestin' day," the red-haired gunslinger said dryly.

* * *

**Authors Notes:  
**As always, please leave a review if you enjoyed.

Durz had to take a major (pun intended) Level of Jerkass in my story, but that was more to emphasize how obstructing and useless the military was in the West, not a personal jab against the character. Honestly, I enjoyed him in Outlaw Star.

My original plan was to kill off both MacDougal brothers, but I realized this was doubly unfair because one, I'm killing off Anten Seven left and right. And two, the MacDougals escaped in the original Outlaw Star. So they'll ride off to cause mischief elsewhere, but not in my story likely.


	5. The Search for Hilda's Gold

When the chaos had finally died down and the dust settled, the unlikely fivesome had decided there was only one possible place they could make their next destination:

A bath house.

A luxury this far west, and an expensive one, but given how roughed up and dirty they were, it was an idea quickly rallied, especially by the women in the group. Only Jim offered a token protest at the cost that would be involved, but quickly decided even he needed a break. So it was they headed to the outskirts of Heiphong and the infamous Bath House Tenrei.

Madame Urt, a woman with short dark hair and the grace of a swan, ran a strict, by-the-books establishment. She ushering Gene and Jim into the men's wing and coaxing Melfina, Aisha, and Suzuka into the women's side. The fact that her clients were foreign or native didn't matter a lick to her, they were paying customers, and people besides. She made sure they had everything they needed on both sides, then left them to their own privacy.

Now, Melfina, Suzuka, and Aisha were relaxing in the hot waters. Or at least, the latter two were. The first was laying against the rim lost in thought, staring up at the ceiling, watching the reflection of the water dancing across the cool marble. Nearby, Suzuka hummed to herself as she scrubbed at her beautifully smooth arms and shoulders, washing away the suds. Further down, Aisha was grumbling something about the bath not being nearly hot enough, and that how skinchangers could endure water so hot it boiled. But even she was clearly doing it more out of habit than anything else, and really seemed to be enjoying herself.

But really, Melfina barely heard any of it. She was lost in her own thoughts.

Ever since Melfina had arrived in Heiphong, she'd felt a sense of familiarity. Streets that she felt she'd walked before, people she almost seemed to know. Rather than comfort her, it only made her feel more and more uneasy. She was positive some memory of her past was within reach, but she couldn't do more than brush her fingers against it, sending it spinning further and further away each time she tried.

Sighing, Melfina took a deep breath and plunged her head underneath the surface of the springs. Here, deeply immersed in the water, all sound faded, and the outside world just seemed to vanish. She floated in the hot waters, naked as the day she was born, and her mind drift open.

_Flash._

That symbol again. The long, curved dragon.

_Flash._

Melfina sat up abruptly, sucking in air as her black locks clung to her head, soaking wet.

"Miss Melfina? Is everything alright?" Suzuka asked. Nearby, Aisha had quit grumbling and was watching with equal concern.

"I saw something," Melfina said. "I keep seeing this same image. A shape. It has some sort of meaning but I can't say what it is."

"What symbol?" asked Aisha.

"Well it's kinda like... well uh..." Melfina looked around, trying to come up with an idea on how to draw it, then spotted a bar of soap. Using the bar of animal fat, she drew the symbol on her arm. A curved dragon with a pair of dots.

Aisha took a long look at the drawing, even sniffing at Melfina's arm. "Look familiar," she finally remarked.

Suzuka also nodded. "I thought I saw something similar to that earlier... when we were passing by the general store, perhaps? We can take another look in the morning, if you want."

"Thank you. I'm sorry I'm being such a burden..."

"Nonsense," Suzuka replied with a kindly smile. "I owe Gene a debt, but you are a friend. Friends are there for one another, are they not?"

"Here for you, friend," Aisha added, clapping her on the shoulder in a rough but affectionate manner.

"Thank you," the dark-haired maiden said, truly grateful. Without thinking she lifted up a bucket beside the tub to rinse herself clean. However, she wasn't prepared for just how cold the water was, and gave an undignified and very high-pitched shriek as it splashed against her skin.

Seconds later the door slammed open, and Gene was there towel around his waist and six shooter in hand, convinced someone was attacking them. When he saw that Melfina and the others were safe, however, shock of a different sort hit him like a physical blow, and his eyes couldn't get any wider without falling right out of his head. Melfina, for her part, felt as if every inch of her pale skin had suddenly turned hot and crimson.

"Get out of here you fool!" Suzuka shouted, clutching the towel to her bosom to preserve her modesty.

"Clear out, cowboy!" snarled Aisha in turn, not even bothering to conceal her own naked body.

"Hey, whoa, wait, I didn't come here for the-!"

Two fists, one pale ivory, one tanned mocha, smashed into his face and sent Gene flying.

* * *

After the five companions had finished bathing and dressed, they met up again in front of the Bath House. Jim hadn't felt so relaxed in ages, and his good humor was only compounded by the story of what had happened to his partner. Gene was still nursing a pair of bruises, one over each eye, but they were fading, and he was reluctantly admitting it was his fault he'd barged in on such a flimsy excuse, so he wasn't carrying a grudge.

The fact that Melfina was deeply thankful for his attempt to protect her (to say nothing of the image he was tucking away in the back of his mind) probably helped keep his mood above the line.

As did this new tidbit of information Melfina presented to them. Jim easily recognized her drawing of the symbol as the same sort the Dragonite Mining Company used. Indeed, a quick trip to the local supply store produced a number of equipment and merchandise which bore the same logo. Melfina recognized it instantly, holding up a lantern with the same etching.

"So you're somehow connected to the Dragonites?" asked Gene.

"I think so," said Melfina. "This symbol seems really familiar. Not just something I've seen, but seen a lot. Like... all my life, even."

_And given she didn't look like a miner_, Gene mused, _that narrowed down the possibilities a bit_. Likely, Melfina worked for the Mining Company as an accountant, or a clerk or maybe even a house maid with the families owners. Likely, they would be the best people to ask regarding such.

"Hey, old man!"

The elderly store keeper, a man with a short gray beard and an eye-patch, glared at Gene with his remaining good eye. "What do you want?"

"We wanna know where all this stuff comes. Where can we find the Dragonite Company?"

"What were you, born under a rock?"

Gene spluttered indignantly, allowing Jim to smoothly step in front of him. "No we're from Sentinel originally. Please, sir, can you help us?"

"Sure can. You folks are in luck, the Dragonite family doesn't live too far from here. Anyone knows their business, it'll be them. They have a ranch no more than a mile or so due south of the city. Just follow the sign posts, you can't miss it."

"Thank you sir. We'll do that."

Outside, the sun was already setting on the horizon, painting the sky a brilliant hue of red. Excited as they all were to learn more about the mystery of Melfina, it was high time to call it a night.

* * *

Gene and Jim were roomed together, but the younger partner was still downstairs, taking the time to clean their guns and count their bullets. He worried too much, sometimes. However, if it made him happy, Gene felt he may as well do as he liked, it was no skin off of his nose. But he had been through a long day and was ready for a good night's sleep.

The bath had been good, right up until the moment he'd earned himself a pair of black eyes. But really, that hadn't been a wholly unpleasant affair either. He sighed and lay his head back on the pillow and started to drift off to sleep...

... only to suddenly realize someone was in the room with him.

Gene sprang up, gun already in hand... and froze as he saw who was in the room with him.

Bathed in the moonlight was an angel with dark locks of hair and the sweetest expression. Melfina wore only a linen shawl draped loosely around her to preserve her modesty, her rounded shoulders peeked over the top as Gene gazed at her in undisguised awe.

"Melfina? What're you doing here?" he asked.

"I... I wanted to see you," she said, sitting down on the bed beside him. The shawl shifted, drifting a hint lower. "I guess I don't know why I came here. I don't seem to know anything, I don't even know who I am. But I know you. And you've done nothing but protect me."

"Anyone would've done the same thing," he countered. His hands instinctively closed over hers, his hard and calloused from holding iron, hers soft as a doves wings.

"Would they really? I don't think so," she protested. "I don't think the world is that nice. A nice world wouldn't have had so many bad things happen to me. To Hilda..." she trailed off a moment, then lifted her eyes to meet his. "Even to you. But you are. You've a good soul. So..."

With a soft shrug of her shoulders, almost as if unsure of the whole matter, she let the shawl flutter to the floor, leaving her naked in the pale light.

"I want to be with you," she said.

"Melfina..." he started to protest, laying his hands over hers. "You don't... we shouldn't... I wouldn't be good for you. I'm... I'm not a good person," he said, suddenly feeling ashamed. Dirty, almost. He felt the weight of every man he'd killed, every woman he'd slept with, bear him down. How could he possibly be good enough for an angel like this?

But Melfina saw none of it. She saw his scars, yes, and knew they meant Gene was a hard man. And she may have been naïve, but was not so unaware as to presume she would be his first. Yet she also saw, hidden deep underneath those scars and those haunted eyes, a heart that shone like solid gold.

His reluctance to take her, despite his clear interest in such, only made her feel more sure of her decision. "You're a good person, Gene. I have never been more sure of anything in my life," Melfina whispered, and leaned in, pressing her lips to his.

Their lovemaking wasn't frantic, but it was fleeting. They were both caught up in the moment, lost in emotions that stripped away reason and left them afloat in a sea of confusing, if pleasant, feelings. Moments to them stretched out into hours, yet passed as briefly as shooting stars. When they came to their senses, the moon had dipped only a little in the night sky.

Melfina shivered, her body still tingling joyfully, and knew she'd chosen right. Gene would never hurt her. Amidst the chaos and confusion that was her life, he was her rock. She wouldn't be able to go on without him. And she'd do anything for him.

"Please don't leave me," she murmured, tilting her head into the pillow.

He cuddled her close, hugging her against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. Last time, he'd said the words to comfort her. This time, he meant them. "I won't," he promised. "Not ever."

* * *

Earlier, across the hall...

"I dunno about this, I mean..."

"They have issues to resolve between themselves," Suzuka explained, loosening her ponytail and letting her hair descend around her shoulders like a waterfall of ink.

"Him thick-headed. Her blind to such things. Not going to be easy," Aisha remarked, shaking her head ruefully.

"In the meantime, surely you don't object to the idea of keeping us company for the evening, James Hawkings?" Suzuka asked with a decidedly wicked smirk.

And to that, Jim couldn't think of a single objection. He may have been only twelve, but he was old enough to at least recognize how lucky he was.

* * *

The remainder of the evening passed largely without incident.

The next morning, the five companions reunited in the common room over a cold breakfast. Between a hot bath and good sleeping arrangements, most of them had not had such a pleasant night's rest in living memory. Thus, they scarfed down their meager food and made to tackle the day.

Following the old man's advice, they'd travelled to the outskirts of town, where the ranch in question lay. Ranch seemed to be something of an exaggeration, at least in recent times, for there was no sign of any livestock to speak of. Just large fields of dirt and grass, marked by white fences that zig-zagged back and forth across the property. A dirty path led up to the main doors of the two-story house, which looked as if it had seen better days. The paint was peeling in the sun and several floorboards on the porch were loose. Sure enough, however, the emblem of the company, the curved dragon, was visible above the door.

Gene reached up to knock, but the doors slid open easily. Too easily. The red-haired outlaw cocked an eyebrow, and a moment later cocked his gun, motioning for Jim to do the same. Aisha went for her knife, while Suzuka ushered Melfina protectively behind her, hand on the hilt of her sword.

Going in first, Gene pivoted left and then right, gun upraised, ready to shoot the first sign of trouble he laid eyes on. Fortunately, the building seemed abandoned, and in poor repair at that. There were signs of recent activity, furniture hastily moved and even knocked over, drapes torn, windows left open. Flies lazily circled in the air overhead as a sandy breeze ran through the place.

They were so on edge, when something finally did happen, Gene reacted instinctively, gun upraised and aimed, ready to fire... and only just stopped himself pulling the trigger at the last second.

A small cat with short, charcoal gray fur peered at him curiously down the barrel of his gun, hopping down the last few steps of the staircase and licking the back of his hand. It wasn't wearing a collar, but it had a pink bow wrapped around its neck. Melfina kneeled down beside him.

"I know you..." she said, letting the gray tabby nuzzle against her hand. "This is Gillium. I remember now."

Gene quirked an eyebrow. "Why's it wearing a pink bow if it's a boy?"

"It's mine," Melfina replied. "I gave it to him."

"Yours? How can that...?"

"Because this is her place," Suzuka said, pointing.

There, up on the mantle, was a framed picture of a happy family. One older man with a bushy mustache, a prim and proper wife beside him. And between them, resting on the mother's lap, was...

"Me..." whispered Melfina. The image in the picture was younger by about half a decade or so, but unmistakably her.

"This is my home... my family... but..."

Melfina grew cold, a chill running down her spine as the implications hit her. The whole place was deserted. Apart from Gillium, not a soul was around. Certainly not her mother and father. The place had the cold, hollow feeling of a mausoleum.

"Whoever lived here hasn't been here in a long time," Jim said forlornly.

"Whatever happened here," Gene added, "It's long since done. But whatever it is, something _here_ is what ties this all together. Melfina, the Dragonite Company, Hilda, and the Kei Bandits. There must be a reason they're after her. Let's spread out and find it."

They went to work, tearing through drawers and searching under beds, looking for some clue behind the mystery of Melfina. Tellingly, it seemed someone or several someone's had been doing the very same thing not long ago.

Melfina herself paused by the picture, studying it. But when the light caught it from a certain angle, she saw some of the paints had been treated to reflect it with a second image underneath. The now familiar image of a curled dragon.

"There's something back here," she said.

Curious, Gene reached over and lifted the painting off the wall, setting it aside. As Melfina had promised, there was a safe door built into the wall behind it.

"I'd say we just struck gold," Gene said with a grin. "Jim, think you can crack it?"

The boy genius cracked his knuckles. "I dunno, looks tough. Lemme take a loo-..." His voice trailed off as Melfina gently brushed him aside, focused on the safe. After a moment, she reached up, and spun the dial. Backwards, then forwards.

"87-... 30-... 22," she said softly. There was a click, the latch turned, and the safe swung open.

"How did you...?"

"Dad showed me... said this would one day be my inheritance..."

Jim snapped his fingers. "_That_ must be why the Kei Bandits want you," he said. "They couldn't dynamite the safe without destroying what's inside. And I'm guessing they already took out the only other people who knew the combina-"

He trailed off as he realized how casually he was speaking of Melfina's family. Melfina bowed her head, and Gene gently laid his hand on her shoulder. Steeling herself, the dark-haired woman opened the safe door fully and peered inside. Resting on a small satin pillow, inside the safe was a tiny glass vial and a rolled up scroll. Jim reached in to claim both, lifting up first the vial to check its contents against the light.

"Gold," he breathed.

Aisha snatched it right out of his hands. "Gold! Where's the rest?"

"That's all there is. It must've been a sample for an appraiser to look at," Jim suggested, already unrolling the scroll. "Guessing it came from here though," he said. He directed the others over to a nearby table, sweeping a book out of the way, and showed them what he'd found. It was a map, prominently labelled at the top with 'Dragonite Mining Company' on top.

"This must be where it came from," said Jim, tapping a large red X in the far corner of the map. Various landmarks indicated its location, though it did not have a contemporary longitude and latitude.

"A whole mine," remarked Suzuka, seemingly the only one not chomping at the bit for a closer look. Yet even she had a fair interest. "There must be quite a bit of gold there."

"The company has public mines all over the frontier," Gene remarked. "If they're dead they'd be snatched up by the government soon enough. But this must be a secret they kept to themselves. Their own personal little cache."

"Think of all the gold there must be there," Aisha said, positively drooling at the thought.

"What does a savage need gold for?" Gene asked.

"Who are you calling a savage?!" growled the native girl, reaching for her knife.

Gene reached for his six-shooter, but Jim quickly moved between them before they could come to blows. "Hey, hey, you two, cool it. Once we get to the mine I'm sure we'll find it full of the stuff. There'll be more than enough gold for everyone."

"And legally ours to boot," said Gene. "Finders keepers and all that. That's legal, right?"

"Sure is, partner," Jim replied with a grin. It may have been stretching the real law, but long as no one found out, it was definitely legal. An end to their financial worries once and for all.

"And we're the only ones that know about it," Suzuka added.

Sudden insight struck. "Hilda knew," Gene said. "She must've worked for the Dragonite company. That's how she knew you, Melfina."

"So she was planning to come back here with Melfina, get the map, and strike it rich?"

"Looks like... must be why the Kei Bandits were after them as well. They knew about the mine, but not where it was. They just knew only Melfina knew where the safe was and how to open it."

"But I didn't..."

"But they didn't know that," Jim reminded her.

Nodding numbly, Melfina sank into a nearby sitting chair. Her whole world had been turned upside down in the course of a few minutes, and she felt adrift in a sea of confusion. A hand came to rest on her shoulder, gently squeezing, and Melfina looked up to see Gene's kindly face there, smiling down at her. _It's alright_, he said with his expression. _Everything is going to be fine_.

* * *

It didn't take long for the merry band to make plans to investigate the Dragonite Mine and haul off as much of the precious yellow rocks as they could. They weren't even staying the night, but decided to head back into town and catch the next available train back to Farfallus.

While Gene pondered over the specifics inside with the women, Jim took a moment to relieve himself out back. When he came ambling back around the side of the house again, a curious sight beheld him.

Past one of the whitewashed fences, near the horse stables, he spotted a flash of pink. Curious, he moved to follow it, and as he cleared the side of the building he saw a young girl his own age playing with a pair of cats, one pale white and the other a dusky black. She wore a white shirt and some dusky overalls, almost like a boy, though there was absolutely no mistaking her for one. The flash of pink came from the scarf wound around her neck.

She had dark hair and a pair of beautiful brown eyes. Her features were subtly different from the likes of Melfina, or even Suzuka, they held a child-like innocence and a wide-eyed wonder. He was almost about to call out to her, but the girl suddenly seemed to sense his presence, lifting her head. She smiled and waved him over.

"Hey there," Jim said. "You're a long way out from town, what brings you here?"

"No reason," she replied, tickling the belly of one of the cats. "I like to wander sometimes."

He could appreciate that, really. Although he liked the stability of a home to come home to, Jim was still young, and anxious to see some of the beauties of the world. This trip had done wonders to broaden his horizons, else he might have (he privately admitted) ended up living and dying in the same place his whole life.

"Beautiful cats you have there," he said. _Smooth, Jimmy_, he admonished himself. _Real smooth_.

However, she seemed to take the compliment kindly, and smiled even more brightly, showing perfect white teeth. "This here's Kemi, and this one's Matta," the girl introduced her feline companions to Jim. "My name's Hanmyo. What's yours?"

"James. James Hawking," he replied, taking her hand and shaking politely. She shook much more firmly, and he tried not to wince at her very strong grip.

"Quite a grip you got there. Farmer?" he asked. Farmer's daughter, more like, but he hated to be picky. Or discriminatory. Spending his whole life as a kid trying to be treated like an adult, he had a very open mind when it came to different kinds of people.

"I come from Symka originally," she said. "There's uh... not much of it left now."

Symka, Jim remembered, had been one of the places that had chosen to fight the losing side of the last great war. It had paid a terrible price for its attempt at independence. Hanmyo must have been little more than three or four when that happened though, the same as Jim. Hopefully she didn't remember much of it.

"Sorry for your loss," he said. "So, where're you now?"

"Oh I got a place nearby," she replied. "Clean clothes, good food, roof over my head, it's not bad. Today's a holiday for me though, so I came out here to explore and play with my cats."

"Well we're takin' off for a bit, I don't suppose we can leave Gillium with you? Don't know when we'll be back."

"Sure!" she said, holding out her arms. However, when Jim moved to pass along Gillium, the gray tabby hissed and clawed, scrambling over his shoulder and to the ground, as far away from Hamnyo as possible. "I guess he doesn't like me," she said morosely.

"Aww, how can that be?" Jim asked with his most charming smile, not wanting to see her upset. Instantly her face brightened up, and he gave a mental cheer. _Score one for Hawking_, he thought.

"He'll come around," Hanmyo said knowingly, even as Mattai and Kemi brushed against her ankles. "They always do."

He was about to say something else but he heard the doors to the house open up, and spotted Melfina and Aisha exiting. "Ah, sorry, gotta run... it was nice meeting you"

"You too!" she said with a wave. "Come back and visit sometime!"

He smiled, thinking he might do just that. However, another thought brought the young gun up short, and he realized just how much they were committing themselves to a venture based on almost sheer guesswork. Gold was well and good, but how could they be sure the mine hadn't already been stripped to the bone. And whose to say the idea hadn't been abandoned? Maybe the mine was little more than false gold and shiny rocks? Belatedly he realized they may have all been putting too much hope on something downright foolish.

_What if this is all just a bust?_ Jim thought.

* * *

Jim's insight was quickly rallied by the other members of their little band, who were tired of chasing native smoke signals. So they took the sample to a professional appraiser in town. The map they kept a secret, however, deciding that a little faith wasn't unwarranted.

The appraiser, an odd man with a pale violet moptop and a thin moustache, peered down a pair of tiny glasses at the fragment of gold in his hand, examining it as he scratched at it with porcelain, testing its coloration and its composition. A battery of other tests followed. In the end, however, he declared:

"Gen-U-ine gold," he said.

"So this is the real deal?" asked Jim.

"Oh yes sirs, and ma'ams..." the old man added hastily. "This gold you brought me passes every test. Its 98.6 percent pure, 24 karat. Gold doesn't come much finer than this."

"Definitely not pyrite," Gene said, pocketing the sample. He paid the man, and added on a few extra dollars beside it. "We were never here," he added meaningfully.

The kindly old man nodded knowingly, pocketing the cash.

"Oh of course not sir. Never heard of you before in my life. Who are you again?"

He was laying it on a bit thick, or perhaps he really was rattled in the head, but Gene trusted enough that the strange man wouldn't sell them out anytime soon. For the moment, they were free to the wind and ready to ride.

It felt good to have direction again.

* * *

They headed east, using the same train route they'd originally used to get to Heiphong. Melfina's money helped pay for the trip all the way back to Sentinel which, thankfully, went without incident this time. It also bought them back their horses, and Jim was practically in tears once he was reunited with Ehferau.

Much as they would've preferred to buy some more steeds, they had to spend their remaining gold on saddlebags and packs. Ehferau and Outlaw would haul their gold back if they found any. So they were walking the way there, with the exception of Melfina, perched up on Outlaw as she studied the map.

"According to the map, we follow the Leyline River... cut north sharply at this fork..."

Jim tugged on the reins of Ehferau, pulling his horse along as they followed the instructions as read aloud by Melfina. His mount was laden with saddle packs ready to be filled with whatever sort of treasure they found.

They followed the winding trail down the path alongside the canyon, along the Leyline river that was their marker. Up and down across various landmarks until, at last, they found it. Gene and Suzuka, in the front, almost rode right past it, it was well-hidden against the side of the cliff-face. But if you knew what to look for, and came at it from the right angle, you could clearly see the wooden columns holding up the gaping entrance and the long metal tracks used for transporting raw materials. And there, swinging lazily on a post, was a sign that made it abundantly clear it was Dragonite property.

"We found it! There it is!"

"Woohoo!"

Aisha let loose a wild cry and took off running, charging towards the mine. The others shared a grin and quickly set off after her, loudly hollering for her not to grab up every piece of gold she happened to find first. Fair shares of the treasure, and all that. Jim grabbed Outlaw before the horse slipped away and tugged both steeds after them.

* * *

Meanwhile, up on a nearby cliffside, five dark horses stood in a line, each with a shadowy rider. The setting sun was at their back, leaving them hidden in silhouette, their features and forms indistinct. But the one in the very middle, the biggest, could just barely be made out as the sun set lower. A tall, big man with a military coat and a hat of dull gray, and a dun-colored bandana underneath that hid all but his eyes. Eyes now glinting brightly amidst the shadows.

Hazanko grinned behind his mask. "Now we gotcha."

* * *

**Authors Notes:  
**The combo for the safe, 87-30-22, is naturally a reference to the code VSD02C, which opened Melfina's casket in the main series.


	6. The Showdown at the Dragonite Mine

They tied up their horses outside the mine and ventured within. Aisha found an old lantern hanging nearby and lit it, illuminating the mine.

Light shined in the dark places, illuminating the wide passages and smaller off-shoots. Wooden beams held up the structure, though many seemed only partially constructed or haphazardly done, with signs of improvement halted midway. However, none of the matter to them as the light shined on something a beautiful shade of shimmering yellow.

Gold.

It glittered on the walls, it sparkled on the floor. Boxes and bags had already been stuffed full of the stuff, and none of them could quite take it all in. It was beautiful. As beautiful as anything they'd ever seen or heard of. For a moment, the five of them basked in the beauty of its glow, lost in awe at the sight of beauty.

Sudden gunfire erupted overhead, interrupting their thoughts, and Aisha ducked her head down low to avoid having her brains splattered all over the rock by a second shot. Someone, Jim likely, hauled her back and into the shadows of the mine where she wasn't as visible as target.

Suzuka stuck her head out briefly, yanking it back in seconds later. But she'd seen enough.

"It's the Kei Bandits!" Jim shouted.

Gene bit back a curse. "They must've followed us. But how in the hell did they-?"

Another bullet ricochet off the far wall, and Melfina ducked down, covering her head with her hands as she gave a shriek.

"Nevermind. We're sitting ducks here, we need to get deeper into the mine," Gene said, ushering them along.

They staggered and stumbled and ran down the narrow tunnels of the Dragonite Mine, stumbling over discarded equipment and past heaps of gold that, while enticing, were worthless to them if they didn't get out of here to spend any. The first time the tunnels branched off, it was to a collapsed section, and the fivesome quickly backtracked their way to the main tunnel, well aware of their likely pursuit by Kei Bandits. The next intersection, however, branched off in three directions, two of which sloped downwards. A map pinned to the far wall confirmed all the off-shoots met up again in a big, wide area in the middle. Probably useful for inventory and equipment storage. It was also an ideal place to set up an ambush.

"Split up. We'll circle back around and ambush them in the middle... here," Gene pointed at the map.

"Are you nuts? Bro splitting up is bad! We don't even know our way around!" protested Jim.

"If there's too many of us in one place we're nothing but ducks in a shooting gallery," the red-haired Outlaw replied. "Aisha, go with Jim, head left. Melfina, Suzuka, go right. I'll take the middle. Suzuka. Keep her safe?"

"Of course," she replied immediately. The very thought otherwise hadn't even crossed her mind.

Likewise, Gene trusted her to keep Melfina safe. They hadn't known one another long, but he knew Suzuka well enough to know she honored her word. If she said she'd protect someone, she'd protect them.

They split up, going their separate ways, fumbling about in the darkness. Aisha's lantern lit the way for her and Jim, but Gene had to rely on ambient light. Cursing, he struck a match and held it up to make sure he was going the right way, but had to backtrack quickly. It really was a labyrinth down here in the Dragonite Mine. Tunnels half-completed or wholly completed terminated abruptly, sometimes because that's as far as the original builders had got, sometimes due to cave-ins or equipment blockage. Echoes bounced off the walls, making it difficult to tell where anyone was. But the sounds were enough and varied that Gene had no doubts the Kei Bandits were in the mines with them now too, just as he'd planned. With that in mind, he reached down to his hip and lifted up his gun, popping it open to check his ammunition. His last six bullets. He had to make every one count.

Descending down a sloping tunnel and hopping over some debris from a minor cave-in, Gene found himself in the center of the mines. As Gene had surmised from the map, the middle of the mine was a big, wide open room with a number of interconnecting mine shafts leading deeper into the Earth. Multitudes of boxes were stacked up for storing mining equipment and raw materials. It was also ideal for setting up an ambush.

... or getting caught in one.

A thought that passed through his noggin' seconds before a machete did, and Gene yanked his pretty little head out of the way, narrowly avoiding an unsightly haircut. Gene's hand moved like a blur, his gun coming up, but the female bandit knocked it right out of his hands and nearly took his hand off with her next attack, viciously pressing the assault.

"Holy hell, what the-?!"

Gene fell back against a crate, then used his momentum to roll right over it to avoid her next attack. With it firmly between them, he got a good look at his opponent. A native woman, darkly tanned just like Aisha was. But there the similarities ended. Iraga was big for a woman, nearly as tall and broad-shouldered as Gene himself, and her hair was jet black, drawn into dreadlocks behind her head. Her nose was broken, and her teeth were crooked and sharp, making her look positively feral. She readied her primitive but still deadly machete for another swing, crouching down low.

And there, towards the back of the chamber, was Colonel Hazanko himself, standing ominously before a wall of Dragonite Supply boxes that bore their distinctive dragon logos. Evidently the dun-colored commander and his savage cohort had slipped past them down one of the side tunnels. And if they were down here, likely the other bandits were also in the mines, probably ambushing Gene's friends at this very moment.

_This may have been a very bad idea_, Gene realized.

* * *

Going right as they did, Melfina and Suzuka followed the tunnel back around and down into the deeper parts of the Mines, losing their way in the process. Thankfully, the former assassin came prepared for such emergencies, and took the time to light a lantern of her own, which Melfina dutifully took to illuminate the path. If they were attacked, they wanted Suzuka to have her hands free to wield a sword.

This proved to be a wise decision, as their next turn around the bend brought Suzuka skidding to a halt, Melfina nearly plowing into her from behind, as they found their path blocked. One of the Kei Bandits had intercepted them.

A dark-haired man with a receding hairline and a finely trimmed moustache, he did not look physically imposing. He wore a well-made blue coat with silver buttons, some very fine boots, and a pair of belts hanging from his hips. On his right side hung an old-style, single shot revolver. On his left was an antiquated sabre. He did not make any menacing moves, but clearly stood in their path and grinned as he caught sight of the two girls approaching, ready for a fight.

Suzuka threw out an arm to hold back Melfina, glancing sideways at the other tunnel. One of them could make it, if the other held off this Kei Bandit.

"Go find Gene," Suzuka ordered gently. "I can handle this one."

The younger girl hesitated, clearly torn between a desire to run like a rabbit and the instinct to help her friend, ignoring the fact that she had no idea how to do so.

Suzuka put steel in her voice as she snapped out "Go!"

Thankfully, Melfina did as bade, for which Suzuka was profoundly grateful. She could spare no more attention for anyone but her opponent.

Her feet slid apart to her proper stance, blade upraised and ready, reflecting off the weak lantern light of the tunnel. She tensed, ready to instantly duck or dodge aside any bullet coming her way, but to her surprise, her opponent didn't seem interested in using the gun resting on his right hip. Instead, he reached for the sabre hanging from his left and drew it with a dramatic flourish, assuming his own combat stance.

He meant to fight her as an equal. Uncharacteristically chivalrous for a Kei Bandit. Still, respect demanded respect, and Suzuka dipped her head politely, keeping her eyes up the entire time. She may have been polite but she wasn't stupid.

For a moment the two just stared one another down, trying to gauge the other.

In the next instant, Suzuka attacked, sword whistling through the air.

Leilong countered immediately, however, blocking the katana strike with it. He immediately swung his weapon around in a wide arc, hoping to decapitate Suzuka, but she ducked underneath and countered a second time, steel ringing against steel.

"A well-forged blade," Suzuka conceded, stepping back and searching for an opening in her enemy's defense.

Leilong smiled, dipping his head to her politely. "The same could be said of yours," he replied chivalrously... then charged in for another strike, sword swinging high, then low, then low again, forcing her to block and dodge his strikes, unable to counter with any of her own. The speed of his attacks left her little chance to do anything other than keep on the defensive.

"A well-trained swordsm-... swordswoman, as well, it seems," he corrected himself as he complimented her. "Easily as good as Hitoriga was."

"I was better," she replied. "I am Suzuka of the Twilight Clan. Her sister _and_ her executioner."

"And I am Leilong," the bandit replied with a salute of his sabre, twisting it with his wrist just so. "Warrant Officer of the Kei Army, Leilong Shimi, at your service."

"I don't want your service," Suzuka replied, lashing out with another sword strike. He countered and parried, steel ringing against steel. "We both know only one of us is walking away from this."

"So long as there are no hard feelings," Leilong conceded, striking harder and faster, his tempo picking up as he evidently decided to stop playing with her. She countered, falling back, trying to keep up with his rapid strikes.

He was rather polite as far as despicable scum went, but Suzuka hated the Kei with a passion, and let her sword speak for her, positively singing as it cut through the air. Leilong, however, was a master duelist, and blocked and countered every move she came at him with. The narrow confines of the tunnel didn't help, it limited the number of directions she could come from to just one: head on. This limited the number of swings she could make, while making his thrusting weapon ideal for saving space, forcing her more than not onto the defense.

As with any great duel between two equally great swordsmen, the deciding factor could have come down to decide the outcome: endurance, environment, ally intervention, unexpected tactics, a finishing technique, or sheer dumb luck.

In this case, dumb luck.

Suzuka stumbled over a loose rock, her stance uneven, her blade low to protect her core. Leilong struck hard, knocking her further off-balance and sending her katana out wide, leaving her vulnerable. Both fighters spun in a circle, trying to use momentum to guide their next attacks, to recover and strike respectively. Suzuka twisted and brought up her sword awkwardly along her back to counter a strike that would've cut down along her spine, but in doing so left her backside uncomfortably vulnerable, and Leilong seized full advantage of that. A well placed kick wrenched a scream from her lips as his boot cracked her ankle bone, and she went tumbling down to her knees. She managed to keep a grip on her blade, making an awkward swing backwards, but Leilong all but danced out of the way on his own two good feet. In a smooth motion he sheathed his own sabre.

"Sorry about this," he said, drawing his single-shot gun and taking aim. At this range, there was little chance he'd miss. "I got nothing against you and yours, you're just in the way of our mission. That's all it amounts to."

Eyes narrow with anger, Suzuka glared defiantly up at the weapon, determined to meet her end with quiet dignity and grace. However, a trick of the light caught her eye, and in an instant, she decided to discard quiet dignity and grace for kicking and screaming.

Suzuka lashed out with a blindingly quick slash, then a second, spinning on her uninjured leg in a wide arc, weaving her sword in a figure eight through the air then deftly sliding it back into its sheath... leaving the last few inches unsheathed. Leilong stumbled backwards fearfully between a pair of wooden supports, glancing down at himself fearfully. However, he was totally uninjured. Her sword hadn't even nicked his fine coat.

"Ha! Impressive moves, sword maiden... but you rather fail to connect," he said, lifting up his revolver and lining her up in his sights. He paused momentarily as he saw the smirk present on her pretty face.

"You were not my target," Suzuka intoned, and let the blade sheath with a neat little click. And with those five words, the entire world came tumbling down.

Literally.

Suzuka's strikes had struck the support beams of the tunnel, causing an almost immediate cave-in. Leilong barely had time to cry out in outrage as tons of wood, rock, and priceless gold came tumbling down to bury him.

Throwing up an arm to shield her face from the cloud of dust that came afterwards, Suzuka still managed to swallow more than a mouthful, coughing and hacking to clear her lungs afterwards, dusting the gray and gold out of her ebony locks of hair. However, upon lifting her head to see the damage she'd done, she could only smile at the sight of her opponent almost completely buried in rock. One of his hands had escaped the rubble, but it looked badly broken from here, twitching once before remaining perfectly still.

"So... what does _that_ amount to?" Suzuka asked sarcastically.

The ceiling rumbled overhead, and the dark-haired assassin cast a wary glance up. When it settled again, she gingerly stood back up, being careful not to put her full weight on her bad ankle. The mine wasn't very stable to begin with, and the altercation had done little to improve matters. She needed to find Melfina and the others, and make sure they were alright. She limped down the tunnel to find them.

Behind her, the hand twitched again ever so slightly...

* * *

Heedless of their comrades imminent danger, Aisha and Jim crept along the upper tunnels in the hopes of finding their way around to the ambush point, though this proved easier said than done. Gene had, knowingly or not, sent them along the longest path, a wide curve along the Dragonite Mine where the majority of mining had been planned but ultimately left unfulfilled. Steel tracks ran the length of the tunnel, and at the very end they found a wheeled cart used in the hauling of raw materials and mining supplies.

They travelled at a quick jog, having no desire to leave Gene in hot water, unaware by now he was already neck deep and going under. Jim quickly lagged behind with his shorter legs, but Aisha didn't slow down for him. On the contrary, if she got to the fight and finished it quick, there'd be no need to endanger his life in the process. And even if there was, she fought close-range, he fought medium-range. Their pacing was ideal.

Or so she thought, as she exited the narrow tunnel and into a larger cavern, and came skidded to a halt as she beheld an obstacle.

A thin, reedy man, he barely looked more formidable than a scarecrow, wearing an ugly black eye-patch sewn into the side of his bald, scarred head. But for all his lack of presence or weapons, there was a dangerousness about him. His body was covered in scars that might have killed a lesser man, and the look in his one remaining eye was hard and cold as silver.

She did not know him, but his name was Jukai. And he was the Kei Bandits heavy artillery.

With a flourish, he tugged down on the metal contraption resting on the ground beside him, letting the forward part swing up and lock into place, its design now more apparent by the multitude of barrels suddenly aimed at the native girl's torso. Aisha felt her eyes grow wide in both realization and terror.

A gatling gun. A thrice-damned gatling gun.

Jukai said not a word as he turned the crank and gunfire erupted from the weapon, all of it speeding towards Aisha, who bolted aside. With such a weapon, accuracy was barely an issue, you just had to keep firing until your opponent was down. She zig-zagged to throw off his aim, ducking and dodging bullets flying through the air but knowing full well sooner or later one would hit. Any attempt to get closer was doomed to failure. And unless she did, there was no way she could take out the bastard.

Fortunately, salvation was on her side.

As Aisha drew Jukai's gunfire and gaze, he left himself almost comically vulnerable as one of the mine carts came barreling down the tracks to where he was. Startled, the bandit arced his gatling gun and continued to churn out bullets at the metal vehicle, peppering it with iron. None of which penetrated the side.

Which was fortunate because Jim had used it as a ride to get in close, and popped up when a suitable moment came, hurling something from his inner pocket at the Kei Bandit. Jukai ducked, but he was not the target of the bronze five-point star that Jim had liberated from the former Major Durz. Instead, the sheriff's badge lodged itself in the workings of the gatling gun and jammed it. Jukai pushed hard on the crank, wheezing as the effort proved too much for him, but could not fire so much as a single bullet.

He reached for his sidearm, but Jim was quicker, unloading both rounds from his shotgun in the one-eyed scarecrow and sending him crashing to the ground in a bloody mess.

"Whoo... wait 'til I tell Gene about this one," Jim remarked, shouldering his shotgun and planting his foot on the mine cart, striking a suitably heroic pose. Aisha rolled her eyes as she cautiously stepped forward, nudging the downed body of their opponent to ensure he was dead.

"Not bad," the native girl remarked, indicating the carnage. An understatement if ever there was one, but Jim heard her unsaid words.

"Yeah, not bad at all James."

Both Aisha and Jim spun around at the newcomer in their midst, one ready to fight, the other in total shock.

Hamnyo was there.

Jim blinked in utter shock, belatedly reaching out to lower Aisha's dagger as she brandished it uncertainly at the girl she did not know. It didn't seem conceivable, Hamnyo being here. It couldn't be real. But no, it was definitely her, with her short dark hair and beautiful brown eyes. She even wore the same white shirt and dusky overalls. If that wasn't enough proof it was Hamnyo, a pair of cats were with her, one stark white in her arms, the other jet black rubbing at her ankle.

"Hamnyo... what... how... why?"

"Would you believe it was fate, James Hawkings?" she asked, smiling impishly. She set down the pale cat in her arms, which bounded over to Jim's side, along with its black sibling. They both hissed at Aisha, who returned the favor.

"But... I..."

"That we were both fated to be here? On this day, and this time?" Hamnyo pressed, stepping right up in front of Jim, her eyes bright in the lantern light as they stared into his eyes. Like she was looking right into his soul.

He wanted to believe it was fate. He really did.

But something felt off about all this. Hamnyo seemed different. She looked the same, sounded the same, even acted the same. Yet somehow she was not the same girl. The contrast between the Dragonite Manor and the gold mine was too profound to ignore. Jim sensed something was wrong, though the thought process had not fully caught up by the time it was too late.

"Wait, I don't understand..."

Jim gave an involuntary gasp of pain as a hot fire shot up his left leg. Glancing down, he saw one of the cats with its claws dug into his leg. Wincing in pain, he pulled it off, though this proved almost more painful than the initial scratch.

"Hey, what the hell?!"

The cat hopped back into Hanmyo's arms, and she gave a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, Jimmy, but this had to be done."

He started to protest, started to say something, but the words rang hollow in his ears as his voice died. His limb, upraised to accused, fell limp at his side, and his vision grew blurry and unclear, his balance thrown out of whack. Aisha caught him before he could fall, which proved to be fortunate because all the strength had left his limbs.

"What did you...?"

"Lorgan Rattlesnake Venom," she replied. "Paralyzes the body and leaves you helpless for hours. I coat Kemi and Mata's claws with them, then let them know who their target is."

"How could you do this?!"

"I couldn't just let you go. Do you think I wanted to do this?" she asked suddenly, changing gears with alarming speed. "I don't have any choice. Hazanko gave implicit instructions. Anyone not part of the Kei is against the Kei."

"So he gives you an order and you just follow it out?" Jim asked, struggling to breathe, but desperate to understand. "Why? You're too young to be a soldier."

"All of us are soldiers," Hanmyo replied distantly, her gaze vacant. "I was a soldier the day I was born. Hazanko isn't just my commanding officer... he's my father."

Aisha growled, tensing up, and Hamnyo shifted her gaze to the native girl. "Don't move, native," she said,. "I don't want Jim to suffer but I'll riddle you full of holes if you so much as blink."

The threat didn't deter her in the slightest as the skinchanger growled, her entire body tense. Aisha then pounced, and Hamnyo threw herself backwards, but she was not the pale-haired girl's target. Instead, as she watched, Aisha grabbed the scruff of both Kemi and Mata's necks, hoisting the black and white cats into the air, her arms well out of reach of their dangerous claws, then, with a squeeze of her strong hands, she snapped their necks and let their furry bodies fall to the ground.

"NO!"

Hamnyo gaped in shock as her cats were killed, feeling their deaths keenly as if they were bits of metal lodged in her heart. Grief turned quickly to anger, however, and she rounded on Aisha, reaching behind her shirt and underneath to retrieve a pair of small pistols. One was shining silver, the other dull grey. Just like her cats.

"You killed Kemi and Mata! I will kill you, you stupid animal!"

With surprising calmness, the pale-haired girl drew her knife, then tossed it aside. She lifted up her hands, cracking each individual knuckle with the simple motion of pulling her fingers back. Her nails looked unnaturally sharp.

"I will kill you _first_," was all Aisha said.

"You dumb savage, what're you going to do? You're unarmed! I'm not!" Hanmyo declared, raising up her pistol and firing off a shot. Aisha ducked aside, the bullet ricocheted off a wall and hit a lantern, sending it to swinging crazily. Light and shadows played along the walls as Hanmyo pulled out her second six-piece and fired off another pair of shots, using both weapons to drive Aisha back. The native girl ducked and dodged, weaving in and out of the shadows and light, slipping backwards into another tunnel until only her bright eyes and a shadowy silhouette were visible in the darkness.

"Come out and die you stupid animal!"

Ordinarily such a comment would have brought the desired result, Aisha would have charged in recklessly and stupidly, and gotten killed. However, all the word did now was elicit a growl that sent shivers down Hanmyo's spine. It was too guttural to come from a human throat. Too... beastly. Shadows and light made it hard to get a good look at Aisha. Every flicker seemed to be briefer than the last. Aisha moved, and Hanmyo lost sight of her completely, spinning around in a circle to try and line her up in her sights again.

"Come out!" shouted Hanmyo. "Show yourself!"

An unearthly roar erupted from behind her, and the small girl barely had time to turn and open a volley of shots in the vague direction of the _thing_ that attacked her. She couldn't be sure in the dim light, but it didn't seem human.

It seemed like a beast.

* * *

Jim coughed as water splashed over his lips, drinking it greedily.

"Not take so fast," Aisha said, easing him up into a sitting position with surprising gentleness, holding the water skin to his lips. "Will be weak for a while, and thirsty. Drink slow."

He eased himself back to his feet, not having the luxury of sitting there long. Gene, Suzuka, and Melfina were still in danger, though it seemed he and Aisha were fine now. His left leg ached, but it no longer burned like before. She'd sucked the poison out of his wound.

"I guess your life debt is repaid?" Jim asked with a weak smile.

Aisha returned it, ruffling the top of his head. "Debt not meant to be between friends."

He gave a weak laugh at that, and took another swig of the water skin. She was right though. They'd never really cared about any sort of debt. It was just an excuse to save face for her. They were friends. If not before, then now and forever more.

"And Hanmyo? Did you...?" his gaze trailed past Aisha to a body lying on the ground beside Jukai' s remains. It was covered in blood. Her two cats lay beside her, equally dead.

Aisha nodded. "I'm sorry, Jim. But she deserved it."

He couldn't bring himself to disagree with her on that point. And yet, he couldn't help but feel sorry for her either. She hadn't had any choice, not from the very beginning, if Colonel Hazanko had been her father. Jim couldn't imagine growing up like that.

A shifting of stone indicated they weren't alone, and both heads snapped up. Aisha's hand instantly went to her side, remembering a moment later she'd lost her knife. To their vast relief, it was only Suzuka, nodding grimly to them as she caught sight of her comrades. She was limping, but considering the shape they were in, she seemed to be in much better shape.

"Did you have trouble as well?"

"No trouble," Aisha replied proudly. "Skinchanger, remember?"

Jim just gave a lazy grin, glad that, skinchanger or no, Aisha was on their side.

"Let's find Gene and Melfina and get the hell out of here."

* * *

A vicious slash cut through the air but, like so many times before, failed to connect with anything solid. At most the razor edge would slice at skin, drawing blood, but never cut deep enough to leave a critical wound. Gene made sure of that.

Unfortunately, it was just about all he could do at this point.

If he'd had his gun he'd make short work of the dark-haired savage. As it was, the red-haired outlaw was barely able to keep her from burying the sharp blade in his body, ducking and dodging, grabbing her arm and attempting to throw her off, then releasing as he fell to the ground from a well-timed sweep of her legs. He rolled out of the way as the machete whistled downwards, narrowly missing him.

He was only lucky that so far Colonel Hazanko hadn't entered the fight, seemingly content to let his subordinate finish him off.

But even the butcher of hundreds had finite patience, and his eyes narrow under the brim of his hat as he glared at the stubborn outlaw who refused to go down easy.

"Iraga! Quit playing with the Starwind runt and finish him!"

She snarled, baring sharp teeth. "Fine!"

The next swing nearly cost Gene his ear, but he dodged aside. He could not so easily avoid the cloud of gold dust she threw in his face. Coughing and spluttering, trying valiantly to get his vision back, he was completely off guard as her blade dug into his side, only barely managing to block her arm so her strike didn't prove lethal. Her leg followed up, however, with a vicious knee to his gut, knocking the wind right out of his lungs. Gene winced as he fell to the ground, catching himself on his hands, but momentarily unable to move through the pain. Iraga raised up her machete, ready to cut Gene's head clean off!

"See you on the other si-..."

**BANG**.

The dark-haired native gaped in shock, clutching at her back. Machete fell from nerveless fingers to clatter on the ground. She and Gene both turned to see what had shot her. It had been Melfina, who still held the smoking gun in her trembling hands.

"Mel...!" Gene breathed, rolling back to his feet and making his way to her side. Behind him, Iraga breathed her last, not even able to spit out a curse at her killer as her life extinguished and she went to join her ancestors in the great beyond.

Gene didn't care. Didn't care they were still in mortal danger, his only concern was for the dark-haired maiden he'd sworn to protect... who'd just protected _him_.

"Mel... give me the gun. It's okay. Everything's going to be okay."

Seemingly seeing it for the first time, she let it slip from suddenly numb hands. Gene took it easily, even as his other arm looped around her shoulders to support her.

"I... I didn't mean to...!" she started to say. Gene gently shushed her.

"I know," was all he said. But his hand squeezed her shoulder, conveying without words how well he truly understood. To kill was never an easy thing, especially your first time. But she'd done it for a good reason.

He might have said more, but Colonel Hazanko had taken a step forward, instantly drawing their attention. Now wasn't the time to comfort Melfina's feelings, but protect her. Gene shifted in front of her to block any stray bullets as the dun-colored bandit lord lifted up his weapon, a black iron shotgun of such massive size it nearly looked like a small cannon in his hands. Red and blue lines were etched into the surface in intricate patterns, almost but not quite bringing to mind the bronze of Gene's own weapon.

"This weapon was forged in the heat of battle," the wicked Colonel explained, running a hand lovingly along its side. "Made of black iron from the southern providences where I grew up. I took it with me into the Final Battle of the War. Into the gaping maw of Hell itself. When the trumpets were blaring all around me, I did not retreat, I did not yield. Only once I had spent every last shell did I let myself leave the battle. It has been with me ever since. I call it the Geomancer, for it will help reshape the destiny of the entire Earth."

Gene resisted the urge to roll his eyes, but only because he needed to keep them trained on Hazanko and his weapon. For all his bluster and affection for a hunk of iron, it did none the less look uncomfortably big. Like it would blow a hole clear through a man's entire body six inches wide.

"Congratulations are in order. It's been a long time since Hazanko of the Kei has had to kill someone with his own bare hands!" he said.

Gene shoved Melfina behind him seconds before Hazanko was upon them, hiding himself and Melfina around the bend. A blast of gunfire erupted from the Geomancer, splattering rock fragments and metal everywhere, but thankfully missed them as they ducked behind hard cover a little further down.

"Stay here, stay out of sight," Gene instructed, readjusting the grip of his weapon and thumbing back the hammer of his revolver. More gunfire might further weaken the already fragile supports of the Mine, but it was a risk he had to take.

"I'm going to end this."

Throwing aside the urge to rush in recklessly, gun blazing, Gene eased his head around the bend to get a good view, then yanked it back seconds later before a bullet tore a chunk out of the support column beside him. The ceiling overhead shivered, stone dust raining down over his head, but thankfully held its integrity.

"Before I kill you, boy, I want to ask, do you know who I am?"

"You're that nutjob Colonel Hazanko," Gene replied evenly. "Dad told me all about you. Couldn't handle losing so you're still fighting a war that ended a decade ago!"

"Ah. So _you're_ the Starwind brat, is that it? I knew your father, you know," Hazanko taunted. "I met him at the Battle of the Leyline towards the end of the war. Put a bullet in his back."

Gene seethed angrily, biting back the instinct to charging in stupidly, and eased his head around the side again for a better view. Hazanko still had his weapon in hand, it was true, but the shotgun was open as he loaded shells into the black metal barrel. He was re-loading, which was why he'd tried to stall with small talk. This was Gene's chance.

Holstering his revolver and hurling himself around the bend, Gene launched himself at the bigger man. The suddenness of his attack threw Hazanko off-balance as Gene grabbed at his wrist. The free hand of the former Colonel slammed into the back of Gene's neck, but he stubbornly ignored it and squeezed Hazanko' s arm, knocking it against the wall. Once, twice, thrice. On the third time, his grip loosened enough to drop his shotgun, leaving him defenseless, and the red-haired outlaw went on the offense.

"Stupid boy!"

Great fists raining down heavy blows against Gene's face. Stubborn as a mule and tough as hard-headed, Gene took the blows and fought back with hard jabs and strikes of his own. None of which even phased the much bigger man. He may as well have been trying to beat down a mountain. In addition to being freakishly huge he was also impossibly strong, shrugging off the powerful blows like they were nothing.

"This mine is mine, this gold is mine, and soon this country will be mine!"

Gene threw another punch, aiming for the smug bastards head this time, but Hazanko caught it and easily hurled him back, kicking Gene in the midsection and knocking all the air out of his lungs. He rolled onto his back, arms up protectively to cradle his aching stomach, but luckily he'd managed to keep a hold of his sidearm. Hazanko knelt down to retrieve his weapon, pulling the black shotgun into his hands once more. The deranged Colonel cocked it, the sound reverberating ominously in the mine's tunnels. "Got anything left to say, boy?"

"Yeah, got something for you. From all of us, in fact!" Gene's hand snapped up, quick as ever, and he took aim with relish as he hoped to make the terrible Colonel Hazanko suffer for all he'd done to them.

"For Suzuka!"

**BANG**.

A graze across his left leg, just above the knee.

"For Aisha!"

**BANG**.

A matching injury on his right leg. Blood flowed freely down both feeble shots, staining his trousers.

"For Jim!"

**BANG**.

A bullet grazing over the top of his shoulder, coloring his gray jacket red.

"For Melfina!"

**BANG**.

A shot through the collarbone. It must have missed his heart by mere millimeters, assuming he even had one.

"This one's for me, you bastard!"

**BANG**.

A shot too high, blowing a hole through his hat without knocking it off. Hazanko staggered, blood staining the front of his gray coat as he struggled to keep upright. A lesser man might've been killed by one or two such shots, but the former Colonel was stubbornly clinging to life by a force of will that was virtually unmatched. Even so, Gene was going to match it, and took aim for what he hoped would be the last shot needed to finish the bastard. The hammer pulled back, then slammed forward...

**Click.**

Gene blinked, checking his six-shooter, tugging at the trigger.

**Click-click-click.**

Thumbing down the release, he confirmed his suspicions: he was out. Those last five, and the one Melfina had used to save his life. Six.

With a grimace, he threw himself backwards as Hazanko's shot passed through the space his head had previously occupied, nearly blowing it clean off. Gene hit the ground on his back hard and rolled behind a nearby pillar as gunshots continued to erupt all around him, threatening to break down the wooden pillar and break the whole mine down on their heads. Gene was pinned down in a small crevice that wouldn't shield him for long, across the way from a deeper mine shaft that would likely earn him a broken neck instead of an escape. Coming down the way, Hazanko relentless came marching along, his footfalls falling ominously, echoing in the mines myriad tunnels. Gene could scarcely believe it. He'd made every shot count, but Colonel Hazanko just kept on coming. And he was completely out of ammo.

Completely out... except for one. Gene fumbled at his coat pocket for his one last hope, as Hazanko cocked his black shotgun menacingly.

"What's the matter boy? Did you spend your six?"

"Oh no... I still got one left," Gene whispered darkly, pulling back on the hammer.

The final bullet slid into place. The very same one that a dark-haired woman had slapped into his hand back in Sentinel, when this whole thing had started. Gene threw his duster left, knowing Hazanko's eyes and aim would follow it, and sprang right, gun raised up.

"Hilda says hello," he intoned, and pulled on the trigger. The hammer slammed down, and the hot metal went speeding through the air before lodging itself right between Hazanko's eyes. It struck with such force it knocked his battered hat clean off his head, then sent the bandit reeling backwards. He went tumbling down the open mine shaft and out of sight into the darkness.

_Good riddance_, Gene thought. _He wouldn't be missed_.

As the sounds of violence died down, a new sound reached his ears. The ground gave an ominous rumble as the weight of the entire mine shifted, trying to redistribute itself on its clumsy framework. Evidently it wasn't having much luck, because the noise was getting worse, and the ground was shaking.

"Gene!"

"Melfina!"

He caught her easily as she threw herself into his arms, and he managed not to wince as the strength of her hug. He awkwardly patted the top of her head.

"Hey, it's okay," he said gently. "We're fine now. The Kei Bandits won't ever bother us again."

"Promise?" She gazed up into his eyes, her own like great pools as they shimmered with unshed tears.

"'course I pro-..."

The ground rumbled again, more furiously this time, and gold dust came showering down as the entire mine seemed to shake.

"Right. Time to go!" said Gene, taking Melfina's hand in his and running as quickly as he could for the exit.

* * *

It seemed like the entire cliffside was shuddering, the Dragonite Mine's integrity having been compromised to such a large extent that the whole thing may well cave in. Suzuka grabbed tight hold of the horses reins to prevent them from bolting as Jim and Aisha followed closed behind her. They'd been forced to escape early on when the tunnel they'd been travelling had been found caved in. And then the entire mine had started shaking fiercely. Now they were out, but there was still no sign of their missing compatriots.

"Where's Gene?! And Melfina?!" Jim asked.

"I don't know, but we can't chance going back in," Suzuka replied. Jim, about to do just that, found Aisha blocking his path. Grimacing, he silently watched the entrance and prayed.

_Come on, bro_, he thought. _You gotta make it_.

There! Both of them. They looked more than a fair bit roughed up but nothing too serious from what Jim could tell. And just in the nick of time, for the mine was shaking more violently than ever. Another beam came tumbling down, nearly crushing Melfina underneath it before Gene yanked her to safety.

"You don't have long!" Suzuka shouted down at them.

"Hurry Gene!"

Gene pushed Melfina ahead of him, then scrambled on all fours as the ground began to give away under his feet, throwing himself the last yard or so forward to literally land right at their feet. They all watched as the mine was swallowed up by the rock and debris, buried under its own weight. A great cloud of dust rose up, but thankfully when it cleared, none of them were unduly harmed.

"Well, that was fun," Gene muttered as soon as he caught his breath, rubbing his neck as he stood back up. "Is everyone okay?"

It seemed everyone was, and indeed, they were all here. Himself, Jim, Melfina, Aisha and Suzuka. All staring forlornly at the great heap of rocks and stones that had thoroughly buried their treasure.

"There goes the Dragonite Mine..."

"All that gold," Aisha lamented, ears drooping as she hung her head shamefully. "It all gone."

"So in essence, we come out of this escapade with absolutely nothing?" asked Suzuka. Her tone was mild disappointment, but overall she was pleased they'd all survived.

The dark-skinned native nodded, ears drooping forlornly. "Seems that way."

"I wouldn't say that," Gene said, hugging Melfina's shoulder. The dark-haired girl smiled up at him, thankful for his presence. They'd both found something far more precious than gold during their shared adventure.

"I wouldn't say that either," Jim replied, drawing attention away from the heartwarming moment. He held up a large rock in his hands, procured from his jackets pocket, with an unmistakable golden shine to it. Maybe not enough for a mansion or a railroad of their very own, but probably enough to head west and purchase a nice, quiet little homestead. None of them knew a thing about farming, but for Melfina, Gene was willing to learn. Suzuka and Aisha were equally interested in a more peaceful, civilized lifestyle. And Jim would follow wherever his bro went.

The horses were right where they'd left them. Jim mounted Ehferau, and with little coaxing Aisha slid onto the sturdy mount behind him. Suzuka found one of the Kei Bandits stray black steeds and took its reins in hand, while Gene and Melfina climbed back atop of Outlaw. Together, the band of five rode away from the devastation and bloodshed and towards their bright future. They rode westwards, into the frontier's setting sun.

It had been a hard fought journey. And yeah, maybe all they got out of it was a fistful of dragonite gold. But they also walked away with something much more important:

Each other.

* * *

**Authors Notes:  
**Obviously, Leilong's last name was given as his trade name. He only had one in the anime, so I had to improvise. If you want to think he survived, dug himself out, and escaped before the Mine collapsed, you're more than welcome to. It could've gone either way, really.

Hope you all enjoyed reading as much as I did writing. This was never intended as an epic, but a fun bit of diverting literature. If you're entertained, then my work is done.

I left numerous sequel hooks, but I've no plans to continue this story any further.


End file.
